All my life people have told me I’m an old soul, meaning someone who is wise beyond their years, highly sensitive, and empathic. I use that wisdom, sensitivity, and empathy in all my relationships, including business ones, which explains why people like working with me. And at the same time, being an old soul means I can’t conduct business in a “normal” way. (Side note, what even is normal?) It turns out, for this old soul, conventional wisdom doesn’t work.
As a ghostwriter for therapists and a content writer for small businesses, conventional wisdom says I should be out there hustling. Business coaches say, “You must get out there and sell yourself. Cold-call a hundred people a day.” Or, “For every 10 no’s you’ll receive one yes.” For some people that works. For me, that sounds like a nightmare and usually only ends in frustration. I’ve experienced this over and over again. When I reach out about ghostwriting for a therapist, more often than not, all I hear is crickets. Usually my email or telephone call goes unanswered.
The funny thing is the vast majority of my clients reached out to me, and said, “Hey, I hear you’re a ghostwriter for therapists. Can you tell me more about that?” (P.S., if you want to learn more about ghostwriting and you feel shy, check out this post.) Having someone come to me is not at all how it’s “supposed” to go!
Tosha Silver talks about this in her book It’s Not Your Money, and says, “To many people, this aggressive approach [of hustling for clients] can feel traumatic and futile. It’s just another kind of doership. Instead, you offer the project to the Divine … you say, ‘Okay, God, if You want this to happen, then open the way. Let the connections come. Let everyone who needs me, find me.’ At the right time, the splendid march of synchronicities begins.”
And they do. If you’re able to trust and let go, amazing things start to happen. That doesn’t mean you do nothing, rather it means you act with inspiration, from a place of intuition. The Divine could nudge you to write a blogpost where you let people know you’re a ghostwriter for therapists, or you’re a content writer for small businesses. It could also mean the Divine tells you to share on LinkedIn or Twitter that you’re available for work. Maybe the Divine Beloved will even whisper in your ear and say, “Reach out to so and so.”
The point is, there’s a difference when you act from a place of trust and intuition than your ego. The ego says, “You have to figure this all out now! You need to work harder! Achieve, achieve, achieve!” The ego has lots of ideas about how things “should” go and thinks everyone else knows better than you do. It’s why advice books are so popular. No one knows what they’re doing and in some ways it’s easier to follow in someone else’s footsteps than it is to get quiet, to be in touch with the still, inner voice that whispers suggestions.
Sure, advice has its place, but just because the advice is out there doesn’t mean you have to take it. Will that business coach’s advice work for you? Is it something you can sustain? What does your inner voice say?
Living in this way is different than the hyper-egoic, manifestation craze touted all over creation. Living in this way means a different sort of life. It’s easier for one, more magical for two. It’s not uncommon for opportunities to arise out of the blue, for the door you’ve been knocking on to finally open. It’s the kind of life I aspire to and it’s also why I’m here to say, “Use me. Let me be of service to you.” I’m a professional writer here to help you because I want you to succeed. Let’s go on that journey together. If you feel called, reach out to me today.