“Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart. The rest of it will take care of itself.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
Curiosity.
Wonder.
Two things that should never get lost when creating a business, but often do. There is so much we think we should be doing that gets in the way of the awesome that we already are.
Get visible, they say.
Build your e-mail list, they say.
Automate, they say
Are you on Pinterest? they ask.
Videos are where it’s at, everyone raves.
And for the low cost of a lot, a million people out there will teach you how to do all of these things! Which is great for them. I’m not knocking any of it. It sounds like it, but I’m really not. It’s their thing. They love it and they’re running with it.
But for me, I’ve learned that curiosity and wonder are where it’s at.
In life.
In love.
In joy.
In the everyday.
In business.
CURIOSITY.
WONDER.
Let me tell you though, that I wish I had thought to hold onto these two very, very important things when I first started my business, because it is curiosity and wonder that will keep you authentically you in all of your endeavours.
Curiosity is defined by the dictionary as: “a strong desire to learn or know something.”
When I first started my writing business I was ready to learn all of the things. Seriously, all of them! I fell down so many rabbit holes. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot of things while down there, but they didn’t necessarily help advance my business. They sure did keep me busy though, which was not a good thing.
I would argue that some of my initial curiosity was driven by fear. Why? Because I was so focused on success that I forgot what truly mattered to me:
- to explore creativity in all that I do
- to feel great about my work
- to work at making the world a better place
- to inspire others to share their story
- to have the financial freedom to do more
And so this is why curiosity alone doesn’t work for me. My curiosity needs to be happily married to wonder, to ensue that I am following a path that is authentically me. By authentically me, I mean a path that is filled with creative storytelling, art making, and real connections with super amazing humans.
If I allow my curiosity to be wonder-filled than all of the things I attempt in life, love and business will inevitably succeed.
Wonder is defined by the dictionary as: “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar or inexplicable.”
In order to remain open to the wonder of this world you need to be able to access your inner child daily.
Open your eyes.
Really see the world around you.
Everything is magic.
Everything.
Let your wonder guide your curiosity and you will never ever go wrong. It’s okay to fall down a few rabbit holes once in a while, but when you manage to crawl your way back out, look around you with wonder.
Whether you are a month, a year, or five years in business, if you feel stuck, close your computer. Don’t take another course. Don’t watch another video. Go for a walk at sunset. Paint. Draw. Dance. Meditate. Write. Let your brain form new creative pathways. LET GO OF CONTROL. The answer will come and you’ll know exactly what to do next.
Curiosity and wonder will give you the answers you need. They’ll guide you to your next steps, so that when you open your computer again, you’ll know exactly what you need to do.