#7: The crossroads of should and must; a blog post that shaped my journey as a solopreneur
"This is a story about two roads — Should and Must. It’s a pep talk for anyone who’s chosen Should for far too long — months, years, maybe a lifetime — and feels like it’s about time they gave Must a shot"
... And so begins The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna, a blog post on Medium that found me at the start of my journey as a solopreneur back in 2014.
I was two months into starting my marketing consultancy after leaving a role at a PR agency looking for better days. I'd felt suppressed, uninspired, and couldn't see the way forward. In fact, I'd come home after my first day of work in that new year, sat on the couch and promptly cried.
My partner and I discussed my options. I had my first freelance client, a production bakery, offering a small retainer. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He'd look after the groceries and bills while I took my shot. I marketed the hell out of red velvet cheesecakes.
As Elle puts it in her post, "When we choose Should the journey is smooth, the risk is small." In my case, being out of alignment wasn't smooth, but I was certainly playing small. However, the decision of slipping into my Must-pants and taking my first steps towards professional freedom, was a life-changing moment.
Reading her post in those early weeks validated my decision and lasso'd my mindset for the adventure ahead. Choosing Must opens up a life force inside you. It's switches your lights on to a whole new game; one where there are no walls, ceilings and silos; the opportunities are infinite.
Must is being who we are first and making that work for us in all areas of our lives. It's tuning into the high-vibration frequency that is our intuition; listening and trusting and learning. That intuitive knowing is the best compass we've got.
Elle's post is a 16 minute read. There's also an audio play available. I recommend making a cup of tea and having a read or listening while you sip and pat your dog.
She added an update at the end about what happened to the post after she hit publish: "In a few short weeks, it was tweeted to over five million people and read by over a quarter million readers."
And just as we've come to learn about Lean Writing Success Stories; she turned it into a beautiful book. It's worth having a copy.
Read all about it
Have a beautiful, mind-expanding read of The Crossroads of Should and Must by @elleluna.
Read this on Twitter and join the conversation!
Thanks for reading.
Please subscribe if you’d like Wordstrings in your inbox.