2 Questions That Will Save You a lot of Time and Energy by Kina Liungman
Two and a half years ago, I did something I had never done before - I went to see a shaman. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what a shaman did or why I decided to give it a try. All I knew was that I had a strong desire for change, a baby on the way, and a notebook full of business ideas - none of which felt quite right for me.
After an hour-long session of humming and drumming, one of the messages she had for me was: "Stay put. Don’t pursue something new just yet. Dig deeper in your heart."
That was the first nudge from the universe.
During my parental leave, I realized I needed help to understand what I wanted to do. The strong purpose I once felt for my job had faded, and I couldn't see the direction ahead. I clearly had to find a coach.
Well, the coaching hunt didn't end up with me hiring a coach, but with me signing up for training to become an ICF certified coach. I had coached leaders and employees in my work but without any formal training, and as I did the research on coaching it was as if a piece to a new puzzle had appeared.
That was the second nudge from the universe.
As I started working again I quickly realized that I wasn’t in the right place anymore and had outgrown my job, so I resigned. I had no plan, just the inner knowing that I was doing the right thing to create space for something else.
That was the third nudge from the universe.
Starting my own company as an organizational consultant and leadership coach wasn't really a big step. I just saw it as something I could do until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I had always dreamed of running my own business, and maybe this was it, maybe it wasn't.
I loved the freedom of being an entrepreneur, but after a few months, I started feeling that I wasn't doing the right kind of work. I missed the deeper connection with other people and thought the solution was to build a "proper" company where I could hire a team and build an amazing organization.
So I found myself picking up the notebook with business ideas again, booking calls with CEOs and leaders at fast-growing companies to understand what problems to solve in a scalable and cost-effective way. With my background as Chief People Officer at a tech scale-up, that made all the sense in the world to me. 1+1 = 2, right?
A few months later I launched the pilot of my online leadership program for startup and scale-up leaders. And when I sold my first seat to the program I felt…. nothing.
That was the fourth nudge from the universe.
During this time I listened a lot to a meditation with Mary Morrissey, the founder of Brave Thinking Institute (BTI), who’s spent 40 years researching the art and science of personal transformation. For months I heard her soothing voice saying: “The Talmud says every blade of grass has an angel leaning over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow, grow.’ And that little blade of grass will press through cement seeking the light. That same pull of becoming is on and in you”.
Maybe I finally heard that angel’s voice, because one day I found myself on BTI’s website, reading about the certifications to teach and coach their transformational programs. Then it hit me: I want to do what Mary Morrissey is doing! I want to help people transform their lives and become a freer, more expanded version of themselves, creating successful lives they love living, based on these principles. THAT’S the meaningfulness I’ve been looking for!
And that was the fifth nudge from the universe.
I went through the application process, got accepted, paid a small fortune and only one week in I learned a tool that would have saved me 6 months of work in the wrong direction. So now I want to share that tool with you. Whatever it is that you want to do in life, ask yourself these two questions:
Does it give me more life, and does it require me to grow?
You know what it feels like in your body when something is a Hell YES!. I know you do, and I also know that it can be really hard to admit to yourself when something isn’t. And if you don’t grow and honor your inner longing for expansion, you make yourself a disservice. Flowers that don’t bloom wither and so will you.
I wish I could share all the lessons and tools of the coaching program I’m now certified in, but instead I’ll leave you with this quote by Howard Truman:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.”
If anyone is curious to learn more tools and strategies on how to define, test and pursue your dream of being a successful entrepreneur, I’m hosting a 2h vision workshop at LAMB in Stockholm, 30 May, called “3 Keys to Accelerating Your Results”, based on the material from this coaching program. Read more at: https://www.hellyes.cc/workshops It would be an honor to have you there!
❤️
P.S. A dream I’ve had for a couple of years is to start a podcast and now it’s FINALLY happening (thanks to the coaching program). The purpose is to empower women who, maybe just like you, want to create their dream life as an entrepreneur. The name? “Hell YES!” 😜. Just click this link to listen to the first episode with the author and mentor Doug Dane. It’s smashed with insights on how to change a negative self-image and remove limiting beliefs that stand in the way to living your best life.
