Why things have felt so hard and how to find your business flow

In the first 4 years running my wellness business, I was spending so much $$$ on courses to learn the next strategy that would finally make my business a success. I found myself doing the same niche exercise over and over again…squeezing myself into the box of holistic pain care because I thought it was what I “should” do as physical therapist moving into health coaching. But I wasn’t bringing in clients I loved working with and my credit card debt continued to climb.

Sound familiar?

Or maybe your business is thriving, but you’re feeling burned out?

Or you’re constantly putting on the brakes, afraid that you will burn out if you keep going the way you have been?

Here’s the thing…most of these courses and strategies haven’t been designed for YOU. They’re based on a strategy that works for less than 10% of the population. And even they’ll burn out if they aren’t careful.

The answer I was looking for

Understanding my Human Design made a huge difference in aligning my business with my energy and knowing how to determine my next “right” step…from what programs to create to how to market in a way that feels good to me and every detail between. I even continue to take courses and work with coaches. But I know how to determine which ones are right for me.

You see…none of us are meant to make decisions from our heads and then move right into action to make things happen. Continually pushing through what doesn’t feel good to us is probably the most direct path to burnout…one of the things we’re all working so hard to keep our clients out of or recovering from! When I learned my energetic blueprint, and more importantly, how to make decisions I could trust, I stopped pushing so hard and spinning my wheels to go virtually nowhere.

I knew how to tap into my intuition to guide my next “right” steps. I stopped forcing myself down the wrong path and followed my true purpose to help women address burnout on a more energetic and spiritual level rather than waiting for the physical manifestations to derail their lives.

And you can align your life and business too!

When you know your Human Design, you’ll have a better understanding of how to work with your energy.

The first step is finding out your Type and Strategy. Get your BodyGraph and a Type and Strategy Cheat Sheet here. (I use Quantum Human Design™ language created by Karen Curry Parker because I find it to be more empowering.)

The 5 Types and the decision-making Strategy that goes with them

1. Manifestors (Initiators in QHD™) – < 10% of the population

• You have a direct connection to the Divine and an internal, non-verbal creative flow you have to follow.
  • You’re the only Type that can get an idea and move into action on it when you get the clues and cues that the timing is right.
  • Your purpose is to get things started, so it can be helpful to delegate to others to keep your ideas and programs going.
  • You may also find your role is to get people started on their wellness journey (or a certain aspect of it), but you don’t necessarily go into the depth of whatever you are working with them on.
  • Your Strategy is to inform others what you’re doing. This helps prevent your flow from being interrupted and keeps your people informed as things change and evolve in your business.

• Projectors (Orchestrators in QHD™) – ~23% of the population

• You are here to guide others in bringing ideas to form. You can see what’s possible and where the potential roadblocks are.
  • You aren’t meant to guide everyone. You work with YOUR people, the ones who recognize your value and have asked for your guidance either literally or energetically (who’s leaning in when you share your brilliance).
  • You aren’t meant to work in the traditional 9-5 sense. You need periods of rest between your work sprints.
  • Your Strategy is to wait for the invitation in making the big decisions (relationships, work, where to live, and especially, who to guide). While you wait for the invitations, do what feels good to you. You don’t have to sit around twiddling your thumbs. Staying in your flow will keep your energy high and let the Universe know you are ready for the next “right” invitation.
  • You don’t have to say “yes” to all invitations, just the ones that feel good. And you may need to talk through the decisions to get clarity with someone who can be a sounding board, not an advisor.
  • If you’re feeling bitter or the invitations don’t seem to be coming, check in on your energy and your self-worth. These 2 things are critical for the right opportunities to show up. It’s the Universe’s way of protecting you from further burnout.

• Generators (Alchemists in QHD™) –  ~36% of the population

• You are here to be the builders and the doers of the world. You have sustainable work force/life force energy and are designed to become masterful.
  • You have a gut-level, non-verbal compass that lets you know “uh-huh” or “un-unh” in response to things in your outer reality (not the ideas in your head) when you’re making decisions, big and small. Follow the “uh-huhs” and hold your boundaries on the “un-unhs” stay in your flow.
  • It’s also important to remember that you have a stair step learning curve. If you’re feeling frustrated, this isn’t a time to quit. It’s often an indication that you’re about to experience the next breakthrough toward mastery. Quit in response to things outside yourself just like you entered into action in response. Otherwise, you’ll never achieve mastery.

• Manifesting Generators (Time Benders in QHD™) – ~30% of the population

• You are also here to be builders and doers and become masterful like the Generators.
  • You also have some Manifestor qualities that help you in your purpose of speeding up the process of bringing things to form.
  • You function first and foremost like a Generator, but check out the Manifestor section above too. It’s important for you to respond to things outside yourself with that gut-level response and then inform the people who will be impacted by your actions.
  • Sometimes you may find you skip the wrong steps and you have to go back while speeding things up. That’s all good. Even if you planned out every step, you’ll still skip something, so give yourself some grace when you have to backtrack.
  • You may also find you start projects you never finish. That’s ok too. It’s how you burn excess energy so you can sleep well.
  • And you aren’t meant to stick to just one thing. So ignore the people who tell you, “Just pick one thing and stick to it.” You’re not meant to work that way!

• Reflectors (Calibrators in QHD™) – ~1% of the population

• You take in the energy of those around you and amplify it. And in doing so, you reflect back to the world how we’re doing.
  • You need alone time to decompress the energy you pick up from those around you and to reconnect with yourself.
  • The people who surround you are extremely important. It’s also important to be in the “right” place. You’ll know you’re there because the people and place feel good to you.
  • You need time to make decisions because you have to tease out what’s your Truth from what you’re picking up from others.
  • Wait a lunar cycle (~29 days) to make the big decisions (relationships, work, where to live). While you’re weighing the decision, talk it out with a few, consistent people in your life that can act as sounding boards and not necessarily give you advice.  See what feels true for you over time to reach clarity on your next steps. And allow yourself to be surprised by what shows up!

This is just the tip of the Human Design iceberg, but it’ll give you a place to start knowing how to make decisions that are right for you to keep you in your flow.

After spending too many years “knowing” my design, but not living in alignment with my design, I know the magic happens when you embody it and work with it. Play and experiment with your decision-making strategy. Start with the small things and work yourself up to the big stuff as you increase your trust in the process.

If you want some guidance in this play, I invite you to join me in Embodying Your Design. This 7-week small group coaching program guides you to experiment and explore what it really means and feels like to live in alignment with your design. Get more information here. The next group starts October 26, 2021.