On a recent Sunday evening, I sat down for a reflection. I didn’t know it then, but I was about to learn a powerful lesson.
For the longest time, I’ve been a reluctant entrepreneur. I love my work, but the typical ways of growing a business have always felt too pushy, aggressive, and manipulative to me. So, I’ve avoided sales and marketing as much as I could. But in 2024, I’ve found ways to build an authentic, values-based business, thanks to a book called The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur by Christine Kane.
According to Kane, business can be a playground for the expansion of one’s soul. The moment I read this, I was in, because I am all about the soul’s expansion. And while the book is full of helpful practices about entrepreneurship, its lessons go beyond the world of business.
Today, I want to share one specific practice that I’ve found transformative.
The practice involves a weekly reflection called the Sunday Summit. Eight questions prompt reflection about what went well in a particular week, what could be better, and so on. My favorite is Question 4, which has two parts:
Question 4a. What challenges am I experiencing?
Question 4b. How might these challenges be calling me to expand?
This question feels powerful because it helps me see the inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship as an invitation to expand my soul.
We can look at all the ways in which our life is challenging, and feel frustrated, defeated, and hurt.
Or, we can ask ourselves, how is this calling me to expand?
Answering this question is what led to the powerful lesson I mentioned at the beginning of this article. A few weeks ago, when I sat down for the Sunday Summit, I answered Question 4a by saying that I was experiencing ongoing fear and anxiety about my finances.
But when I got to Question 4b, I had to dig deeper. How was this challenge calling me to expand?
It’s true that I need to secure my financial future. But the reality is that I worry about money even when I have money. So, the worry is not about the money, exactly, but about something else.
What is it about?
It’s about the story of my life. Over and over again, I find myself in situations where a part of me feels like I am “not good enough.” I feel like I don’t have what it takes to succeed, and I lack a core, fundamental way.
At first, I felt this way about my intelligence.
Then, it was about my physical appearance.
Then, I felt insecure in romantic relationships.
Then, my corporate job.
Then, writing.
Then, parenting.
Now, entrepreneurship.
Tomorrow, who knows?
The point is that a part of me always finds an area of my life where I am lacking, where I feel less than, where I am not enough. Layer by layer, I’ve healed this pattern in various areas of my life. And every time, it crops back up in another.
While answering Question 4b, I thought, “Wait a minute! What if this is what my soul wants me to expand into?” Getting to a place where I know, on a deep, embodied level, that I am enough—without question? In every area of my life?
Realizing this was such an empowering feeling because all my worries seemed to have a meaning and purpose: my soul’s expansion.
That’s what this challenge was really about for me, not money.
As I move through life, my work is to continue to peel away the layers of insecurities until they’re all gone. With each layer I shed, my soul expands.
By the time I was done with this Sunday Summit, I was smiling. Do you see why Question 4 is my favorite?
The best part is that this question isn’t limited to entrepreneurship.
We all face challenges in life.
Unfulfilling work. Fears about our future. Health issues. Relationship struggles. Feeling unworthy. The list goes on.
But, here’s the thing: We can look at all the ways in which our life is challenging, and feel frustrated, defeated, and hurt.
Or, as in question 4B, we can ask ourselves, “How might these challenges be calling me to expand?“
What am I meant to learn from this experience? Who will I be on the other side of this struggle? Who do I want to be on the other side of this challenge? What is my soul nudging me towards here?
There are many beautiful questions we can ask ourselves in challenging times, questions that can help us gain perspective and consider possibilities we may be refusing to see.
As 2024 comes to a close, I am committed to finding ways to expand my soul — as an entrepreneur, yes, but also as a mother, a spouse, a sister, a friend, and a daughter.
If you are struggling with something at this moment, I encourage you to ask yourself: how is this calling me to expand?
I invite you to let life and its challenges expand your soul.