Do you feel like you reflect on things more than everyone else?
Do you find yourself worrying about how other people feel?
Do you prefer quieter, less chaotic environments?
Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
Sound familiar? That’s probably because you are also a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), just like me. It’s not a disease! It’s an innate trait found in 15 to 20% of the population. As a HSP, I am more aware than others of subtleties, because my brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. I am also more easily overwhelmed than others, when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time.
For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me. I was unhappy in my job, didn’t know what I really wanted to do with my life. I always got REALLY upset whenever I made a mistake and I cried a LOT.
Thankfully I found some brilliant people who taught me to use my trait to my advantage, rather than disadvantage.
I have created a life for myself where I can work whenever I want, hide in a dark room when I need to and last but am able to choose the people I work with.
Which leads me to the actual subject of this post.
Critics might say that being a HSP and running your own business exclude each other. I highly disagree with that. Society certainly doesn’t make it easy for us, since (at least in the western cultures) we are often misunderstood. That’s content for a whole different blog post, which I might explore some other day.
Yes, I am very sensitive BUT I’m also extremely intuitive.
And THAT is my big advantage when meeting people and more importantly potential clients. I can sense very quickly what a person is like.
Are they genuine?
Do they have respect for me and my work?
Are we on the same wave length?
All these things are indicators for me, if I will work with a client or not.
I have learnt to listen to these gut feelings and now choose the people I work with very carefully. Being able to say no to potential clients is hard. We’ve all done it and learning to say ‘no’ is a process in itself. But let me tell you this: IT PAYS OFF! Whenever I have taken on clients purely for the money and ignored my intuition I regretted it. EVERY SINGLE TIME!
I’m glad I’m finally able to embrace my trait and make choices that make me, and ultimately my clients, happy. It helps to make my work enjoyable for me and my clients.
So if you are, like me, a HSP, here’s what I’m trying to say to you:
- Embrace it, it’s awesome!
- Start tuning in to your intuition, it will lead you to great success.
- Create the life you want
- Don’t compromise. If you’re already running a business, tune in and choose the right clients.
If you want to learn more about HSP check out one of the leading experts on the field Elaine Aron (http://hsperson.com/) or take a test here, if you’re not sure. But trust me you probably know already!
If you’re already running a business or want to start out. Here are some ways you can work with me.
Christine,
I can relate to this blog and the more I trust my intuition the more I achieve for myself, my family and my business.
Thank you for sharing.
Tracey
thanks Tracey glad you enjoyed it. It’s so hard to do in today’s world but so important!