(**written in December 2024 for a magazine that is on pause and republishing here**)
Your soul requires money for its fullest expression.
And your soul’s fullest expression will attract more money.
It is a virtuous cycle.
But it is one that you must consciously choose to step into.
Otherwise, you will continue on a linear path of advancement.
And it won’t be a bad path.
It might even be a golden one paved with promotions and increasing responsibilities.
But it will likely be an expression of your intellect and knowledge.
Missing from the equation will be your energy and your wisdom, two vital components of the soul or heart.
Embrace the rebellious act of creativity in a world of corporate conformity.
From Corporate Life to Creative Living
Four years ago, I left a high-trajectory career in technology to pursue my “soul’s excellence.” The term “soul excellence” had washed over me on a retreat in Maui, and I felt called to explore what it meant, to live what it was asking of me. I wrote a chapter about it in a book called Awakening: Meet The Women Birthing a New Earth. I have since gone on to found and lead my own publishing company, Soul Excellence Publishing, where I’ve worked with over 500 people in 16 countries on four continents to publish seventeen books on personal growth and transformation. Each book that I publish represents a community of people who are waking up to their soul’s excellence and expression.
I’ve described my journey as the path from “corporate life to creative living”. I believe it’s what happens when a highly successful professional realizes that he or she is meant for an entirely different way of living. The awakening may happen as the result of a layoff, a global pandemic, or maybe even, as in my case, hitting a career milestone and feeling empty inside. Whatever it is, you’ll feel it. And you won’t be able to deny it. And then you will wonder, but how will I survive? How will I make money? What will people think?
You could ask those questions. But chances are they won’t move you forward. Instead, I suggest that you ask:
- What new physical activity could I try this weekend? By challenging your body, you will awaken your creativity.
- What media do I consume the most? And what’s something small I could create in that media? For example, if you listen to a lot of podcasts, record your own. If you read about technology, code your idea. If you admire artists, paint or sculpt something small to start.
- What’s something that I could create that someone would pay me a dollar for? There’s just something powerful about making a direct dollar if you haven’t before.
These questions will open you beyond the tight confines of your current corporate reality and into the realm of the unknown wonders of the soul.
I had no experience or background in publishing, but I was filled with visions for titles and a passion for figuring things out. I knew I was skilled at initiating new projects, recruiting people to a vision, and making anything successful. I also had direct experience. I had experienced the power of becoming a published author by writing only a 3,000-word chapter, and I believed many people would benefit from this shared experience.
I went from only ever making money as an employee to making money in ten different ways in just a few years. On my path from corporate life to creative living, I have made money selling:
- Individual author spots in multi-author books
- Individual author full book publishing
- Corporate book projects
- Online group coaching programs
- In-person leadership workshops
- Corporate content training programs
- Book royalties
- Referrals to audiobook creators and makers
- Tickets to virtual summits
- A daily affirmation email product that I designed with ChatGPT
I didn’t know that I had this in me! I didn’t realize what my soul could create when it got going. But I do know that the same is true for you. It’s true for us all when we align with this inner well of creative energy.
I keep a screenshot of the first-ever Stripe payment of $997 that I received from a client to join my first book project, Leading Through the Pandemic. It was exhilarating to receive a payment directly from a client! That weekend I visited the local art fair and purchased a large painting of flamingos set in a tropical teal background to serve as a symbol of my act of rebellion, my act of entrepreneurship, my act of creative living.
Your soul requires money to be fully expressed.
And when you are fully expressed, you will call in more money.
The Most Valuable Currencies
Your path from “corporate life to creative living” does not need to be immediate or abrupt. It can be a simultaneous journey into both worlds. But, if you have over-indexed on the corporate, it is time to clear space for the creative to come through you. Your main responsibility is to clear your channel to receive inspiration. This means to clear your mind of old beliefs that tell you there is only one way to succeed in the world. You get to choose. You get to allow money in from a wider variety of places than you thought possible. I challenge you to create and sell something this month while you are still in your corporate career to give yourself proof of what is possible.
Of course, you could create your art just for fun. You probably don’t need the money, after all. But it would be a huge act of courage to open yourself up to receive abundance from someplace other than your place of employment or your investments.
In the future, more and more people will work for themselves as entrepreneurs, creators, influencers, designers, consultants, artists, and so on. What may look like an uncertain path today will be the one that offers equal parts stability and freedom in the future as the time and energy it will take to go from idea to execution with AI will be shortened. And in this universe, new forms of currency will be paramount.
In a world of soul expression, new forms of currency will complement money. Yes, money is important. It is the vehicle for you to express preference and choice in your life. And once you have the money that you need to support your life on earth, you will find that the most important wealth comes in these forms:
- Gratitude – when you notice your daily bread, the little treasures of life, you are wealthy.
- Presence – when you give someone your full presence – and they give theirs in return, you are affluent.
- Authenticity – when you use your voice and live in alignment with your values, you are super-abundant.
The best thing that you can do today to join your soul with your money is to notice your daily bread, give your full attention, and make decisions in alignment with your values.
Your soul will flourish, your relationships will deepen, and your cup will overflow.
