Follow your Truth no matter what.
This is what I believe.
I also believe that most humans on this planet are not raised to know what our Truth is.
As Don Miguel Ruiz likes to talk about, the “storytellers” who are on this planet before us like to tell us who to be and who not to be so we can survive in their story. Our Truth can get quite fuzzy.
To me the journey of being an Aligned Entrepreneur is all about the journey back to your own personal Truth. It’s about moving past what the storytellers taught us and creating a vision for the story we want to live in.
Sure, it’s about making money. Money is a solid measurement we can use when we’re in business to know if we’re operating in Alignment with our Truth.
Alignment Creates Freedom
Beyond the money (though don’t forget the money!), it’s also about getting to know who you are and what you love so solidly that it actually creates more freedom to experiment with new ideas, new thoughts, and new realities for yourself and your clients. When you are crystal clear about who you are, it’s not scary to innovate, because you have complete faith that the Universe will always bring you back to your Truth.
Sometimes we have to try some things that are outside of personal Truth in order to get the “bad” result that lets us know we’re off track. When you are so OK with who you are, you say, “bring it!” You know you can’t really mess it up.
One of my mentors often says, “Structure creates freedom.” This is so true, and so does Alignment. The more clear you are about your Genius and your Mission as a solid base, the more you can let yourself flow to ideas as your energy calls you.
The Revenue Rollercoaster
I taught a class recently about the “Revenue Rollercoaster.” I talked about how most people think they need to avoid this phenomenon of cycles in revenue. I believe in embracing it. When you can ride the ups and downs, it gives you space to find your Truth in your mission and in your marketing message. Be willing to try things, and share what you’re really thinking, and see how it lands for your audience. Sometimes you’ll hit a home run and other times you’ll hear crickets. And that tells you something about your degree of alignment. The more you’re aligned with your Truth, the better your result. You can learn and adjust. (And be sure you’re charging enough that you can afford to ride the rollercoaster… but that’s another article!)
Popular Misconception
There is a misconception about the idea of Alignment. We think we want it so that we can know everything and do everything perfectly. Let that go. Alignment is not at all about perfection. It’s not about knowing everything before it happens because you’re moving in a straight line. One dictionary definition is “making the right adjustments.”
I recommend Alignment more as a commitment than an end goal. Become committed to being the type of person who will notice if they are operating outside their genius and make the right adjustment. Be the type of entrepreneur who will notice if a message is inconsistent with their mission and make an adjustment.
When it all lines up, your results will show it. When it doesn’t, you know it’s time to grow into a new message or a new level of thought leadership on the planet. Continue to align with the new Truth that reveals itself to you, and that is the path to maximum profit, as you define it.