Maybe it's in the cards

Let me let you in on a little truth I'm learning day in and day out: building a startup is hard. 

Not just lots of stress on your brain hard, but all the time, wide awake in the middle of the night, short of breath, questioning it all hard. To create something from scratch is a challenge. To create something from scratch that grows into something of value is a real act of faith.

To start a company is to believe fiercely in a vision and your ability to bring that vision to life better than anyone else. It is an exercise in holding tight to a singular focus: you can do it. 

The problem is, that focus tends to waiver. A whole lot. You are called upon to find your way back to it again and again. Your success as a startup actually depends upon your ability to remain steadfast in your belief.

So what happens when you lose the faith?

Where do you go to find it when you're in the thick of strategy, finances, marketing plans, negotiations, next moves, and your belief slips away?

It seems to me that building a startup demands some form of spirituality. 

Which kind, or what shape it takes, may differ-be it church, dogma, meditative practice or bottle of wine-but the essence of what's needed stays the same.

You find your way forward based on the belief that something - or someone - will guide you. You put your trust in a feeling, a conviction about what good will come, and give in to it to keep going. You look for signs, lots of signs. You look to an energy--the heavens, a guru, a mantra, an Instagram post--to direct you; to turn up when you need it most; or to simply hold you up in the dark hours. (And oh there are plenty of dark hours in entrepreneurship.)

Whether you turn to your community of like-minded startup starters or your congregation, consult the works of those who've come before or read the cards for what comes next, you must find somewhere to draw from to keep the faith.

To start up is to embark on the unknown day after day, decision after decision. It is to face a continual need to look inward, tap into your intuition, and make sense of the soul and your purpose.

Sometimes the only thing you have to hold onto is your gut, your support community, and your deep-seated belief in your vision.

As I navigate my own startup, I find I'm looking for answers more frequently, and in different places. At the moment, I'm finding the faith in the outcomes of a deck of Oracle Cards. Silly as I once thought that might be, right now, it speaks to me. It keeps me focused on the path.

I've been turning to the Goddesses for a little help as I plan a massive Breast Express cross-country RV tour. (Talk about having the faith!) Women have always served me well in finding the way, and as my company's mission is to serve more of them, I find the Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards comforting. I feel better calling on them. I mostly like what they have to say.

I also find comfort in sharing what I'm learning and in hearing where other creators draw upon to keep the faith on the journey. I thought perhaps we might all share our forays into universal energy.  

I've no idea where this is heading (much like a startup), but I have decided to document the journey in case it proves useful somehow. 

So here it is, my Startup Spirituality.  Otherwise known as the act of tuning in so you can turn out something magical.