don't just build a biz. build a lighthouse.
one of my words for 2014 is lighthouse.
2 years ago i set out on a journey to find my mojo again. i had just had a baby, i had lost my passion for my photography business, i had no idea where to take my blog, and i was basically feeling a bit lost with the whole biz thing.
i saw this quote on pinterest:
lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand their shining. (anne lamott)
when i read it, i had this moment of absolute clarity: i was running all over the island and i didn’t want to do that any more.
i didn’t want to just go through the motions of building my little biz. i didn’t want to feel all this overwhelm and uncertainty. i didn't want to be doing things because i should or because someone said to.
what i wanted was to be like that lighthouse.
just picture it in your mind’s eye.
- lighthouses stand tall – the words that come to mind are confidence, value, worthiness, certainty, clarity, purpose, elevate
- lighthouses stand out – think of branding, marketing, positioning, uniqueness, personality, not worrying about the competition,
- lighthouses are a beacon of light – attracting the right people, resonating with them, connecting with them, doing work that matters to people.
lighthouses shine.
that’s what i want for my biz and that is what i want for you too. 2 years ago i added “make it shine” to my “build a little biz” header and the word shine became the key thing i kept in mind as i carried on my entrepreneurial path.
the thing about lighthouses is that they are lit from within so that light, that spark, needs to start with YOU. (you can’t just follow a bunch of steps or follow what some other shiny business does. you gotta be you.)
so i went on a journey to find my spark, and then i wrote a workbook called find your spark to help people find that thing that could ignite their light.
i realized that part of my spark is teaching, so i went on to create online workshops and write more workbooks that would teach biz strategies to others. part of my spark is visual creativity so i have gone on to incorporate graphic design into my business and to teach people about visual marketing.
it’s been a busy 2 years, an awesome 2 years. i am proud of what i have accomplished. but i feel like i have also lost site of my lighthouse. and i’ve also learned something...
it is really hard to shine.
it is hard to keep that spark ignited. it is hard to keep your eyes on your path and your right people. it is hard to stand out. it is hard to stand tall.
so now i am coming full circle back to the lighthouse - and the quote that started me on this journey in the first place.
the lighthouse has become a symbol to me of the type of business i want to be building. light has actually become a symbol – i see messages about light and shine and sparks all over the place, as though the universe is nudging me.
(and the sea is my happy place - the place where i find space, where i seek clarity, where i feel bliss. it seems fitting that the lighthouse has become a symbol for the life i am building.)
the lighthouse represents how i want to feel.
how do you want to feel?
every time i talk to women in business about the lighthouse - about finding your spark or igniting your light or building YOUR biz, your way and letting go of all of the crap that holds us back – i hear that this makes a difference to people.
so my goal for 2014 is to keep sharing my efforts on building my lighthouse in the hopes that it will inspire or encourage you too.
in my head i have been thinking that this is my lighthouse project. but i don’t know if that is a strong enough word. project feels like yet another thing to add to the to do list. ugh.
this isn’t something else for us to do. this is about how we want to feel. this is about our mindset. and our way of looking at the business we are building and the journey we are on. this is a shift in our thinking. a transformation. a revolution.
the lighthouse revolution.
so instead of just building a biz, we build a lighthouse instead. so that we may stand tall. stand out. shine bright. be lit from within. sounds good, right? click to tweet.
i would really love to hear from you.
does the lighthouse quote resonate with you? what other characteristics of a lighthouse can we apply to our biz? what other messages of light & shine & sparks have you come across that fit with this idea?
please add your comments here or say hi on social media… it would be great to go on this journey together.