Soul Retrieval for Solopreneurs

I was shocked that my colleague and friend Annie Hart (www.anniehart.com)  e-mailed me today and said “you do soul retrieval for solopreneurs.”   Soul retrieval is a centuries old practice in many cultures, usually the work of the healer or shaman.  In this country, soul retrieval is practiced as a transpersonal psychology, or as a combination of mind/body work.

Soul retrieval has been defined as  “returning the missing pieces of the self.”  If you search for the term on Google, you’ll find many entries for soul retrieval.  There is definitely a connection to the mind and the body, meaning that the experience of reclaiming a missing part of one’s soul will be felt both in the mind (emotion) and in the body.  Besides the “aha” moment, I see the breath change or the structure of the body shift.  Very often, a person’s face will change dramatically, becoming more relaxed, younger, and brighter.

Almost all of us lose pieces of our true self, or our soul, as we go through life.  It happens in many ways, through life choices that take us away from our secret wishes, or painful situations that we handle by closing off a part of our hearts.  I say that I help entrepreneurs and solopreneurs find their soul purpose and then work with them to create satisfying, financially successful work.  I’ve never thought about what I do as soul retrieval, but I can see why Annie said it is.  Even my training and experience have set me up for this – besides a Master’s in rehabilitation counseling, I’m a licensed massage therapist who has studied advanced energy and body work techniques for a dozen years now.  Put those two together with my intuition and my very sharply honed business and marketing skills, and  you’ve got a pretty well versed soul retriever on your hands!

I’m going to think more about Annie’s description of me, and whether I want to use that term in my self-description and marketing.  If you have comments pro or con, I’d love to hear them.  You can comment here, or e-mail me at sue@confidentmarketer.com.

Thank you, Annie.  Whether what I do is soul retrieval or not, it is sacred and live-giving, and I’m honored to be associated with the term.

(c) Sue Painter

What Keeps an Entrepreneur Down?

Doing the work of digging deeply for soul purpose is honorable and important.  It requires honesty and openness to thoughts, feelings, and emotions one may not have been open to before.  It requires the discipline of self-examination and questioning.  One of the symptoms of not knowing your way is “never getting around.”

Have you ever wondered why you just never get around to doing something that you absolutely know is important in your life?  It’s a rare person who can honestly answer no, LOL!   Here are some of  the things I see when someone asks for my help and who is working off their path:

• Boredom
• Irritation
• Whining
• Excuses
• Unhappiness
• Depression
• Frequent illness (headache, nausea, stomach ache, lack of energy)

It’s too daunting to ask directly “What is your soul’s purpose?”  We can’t approach finding the bare trace of your path in such a forced and quick way.  Instead, we have to search here and there, looking for the barest beginnings of an overgrown, hidden trail.  So here’s how I often start helping someone discover soul’s purpose.  We begin by understanding what it is NOT!  You’ll know what your soul purpose is not by building a list of tolerances.  I often begin my Soul Purpose workshops by having people do this, and we always get a few good surprises and laughs.  Here’s how to do it by yourself:

• Get a few sheets of blank paper or a large sheet of paper from a flip chart.
• Draw a vertical line down the center of the page(s).
• At the top of the left column write “I am tolerating these people and things.”
• List everything you can possibly think of that you put up with and really wish you didn’t have to – a low paycheck, a spouse who never takes out the garbage, a button off your shirt, clothing that is too tight, a snotty co-worker – no matter how big or small the issue is, write it down.  Close your eyes and let the list come, and when you think you are done close your eyes and do some more.  It often takes a while to prime the pump – sometimes people have been tolerating things for so long they are numb to it.
• Now, at the top of the second column (on the right) write “inspiration.”  Pick one or two of the things off your list that really bug you and think about how your life would be without them.  Think about how energizing it would be to quit tolerating these, once and for all.  Feel within yourself the tiny flame of excitement you get at the idea of freedom from these things.

That’s a short and quick version of what we often spend two days doing – questioning, puzzling, and talking our way through list after list of tolerations, and crafting in the opposite column a life based on inspiration instead.  Amazing things happen, one being that people get closer to their purpose.  The weeds and vines in their way begin to get rooted out, or moved aside.  With some commitment and humor and self-reflection a person starts down the path of finding her soul purpose.  And over time, we can take that soul purpose and create work that is financially successful, deeply satisfying, and often joyful.

I believe one of the most critical actions one can do is to find one’s soul purpose.  Taking that and crafting it into successful entrepreneurism is deliciously sweet, like the icing on your birthday cake.  May you find your way to both.

(c) Sue Painter

Finding Soul Purpose as a Solopreneur

If you’re a solopreneur you came into that status in one of two ways.

1. For whatever reason, you lost your job and are calling yourself a solopreneur while you look around for new employment.
2. You have dreamed (usually for a long time) about doing a particular type of work, you may have felt called to get out on your own to do this work, and you sincerely hope and believe that whatever you are doing is truly your life’s work.

That’s usually how it goes.  And whichever category you are in, finding your soul (sole) purpose is important, because you will become filled with fire and passion, find a commitment within yourself that fuels focus and action, be unstoppable.  Whether you do that working for someone else or for yourself, you will be adding value to the world.  You will be adding love to the world.  You will be courageously modeling for others what it is like to live from deeply rooted, certain knowledge about your soul (sole) purpose.

My soul purpose is to help those who are lost to their purpose find their way.  I encourage, help clear the weeds and vines that have long been overgrown, hold the light while someone searches for their path.  Eventually, with courage and stamina and humor and love, the way is found.

My experience is heavily weighted to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, and my passion is there, too.  I believe that our culture and economy become stronger when we foster the growth of small businesses, when we support the folks who are willing to give up (or perhaps have never had) the cushioning of employment.  I believe that entrepreneurs need nurturing and community, and I want to be a provider.  My blog is one way I provide these things to you.

(c) Sue Painter

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