Waiting to Respond
If Human Design is real (and I believe it is), then one of the biggest obstacles to building your richest, most rewarding, most fulfilling life is being too busy.
Specifically, this is true for Generators and Manifesting Generators, who make up 70% of the population.
Because Generators and Manifesting Generators (my type) build their richest, most rewarding life when they respond to opportunities as they arise. But how many of you have space in your life to respond to opportunities as they arise? Are you going to squeeze that into the 7 free minutes you have between getting your kids off to school and rushing out the door for work?
Probably not.
I’m not saying that as a criticism. I don’t know a single spread-too-thin person who wants to be spread so thin. When my last job had me stretched to the breaking point, I wasn’t happy about it. But I was also in survival mode. And being in survival mode doesn’t lend itself to creative problem-solving. That’s why working with a helper during times like that is so useful (if you’re looking for a coach, might I suggest my friend Sneh?).
I’m currently talking about things in a pretty broad sense, so let’s go deeper. We’ll do it the way we usually do: I’ll use my life as an example, trusting that “the more personal you get, the more universal it becomes.”
This weekend, Sam started his Executive MBA program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). His program is a collaboration between Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and HKUST and… drum roll please… it’s been ranked #1 in the world 12 times by the Financial Times.
I know bragging is gross, but he’s my husband and I’m proud of him. Go ‘head, boo thang. You’re crushing it.
So anyway. Sam’s program started with a kickoff week and spouses were invited. Therefore, on Saturday afternoon, I got to sit in on Professor Loran Nordgren’s “Introduction to Leadership” class.
And… guys. The way I felt in that classroom. Every single cell of my body lit up with pure delight. It was like the way I feel when my writing is flowing – except I was also interacting with other people. And I want to interact with people. My word of the year for 2024 is “connection.”
That lit-up feeling, that soaring, gleeful, I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW – that’s the feeling that Generators and Manifesting Generators need to look out for.
Because that feeling (if you believe in Human Design) is a sign that something is happening that you need to pay attention to. And when you wait for that feeling before making decisions (the “strategy” that puts Generators and Manifesting Generators in a “the Universe is conspiring on your behalf” style flow), then magic happens.
So I left the class and signed up for the program and now I’m also in the world’s #1 executive MBA program!
Just kidding. Though I did contemplate it and Sam gave me his blessing (what a hubby).
Instead, I realized that the soaring feeling that I experienced in the classroom – that lit-up, high-on-life, “I feel so good right now” feeling – is the answer to something I’ve been seeking clarity on.
After working so well together on the depression workshop we led in September, my cousin Therese and I are going into business together. We’re calling the business “Stubborn Gladness” and our goal is to share wisdom, insights and teachings that will help more humans delight in their human experience.
It’s going to be pretty awesome.
But Therese and I have been in a bit of a holding period around our launch. Not for a lack of excitement, commitment or even bandwidth. Simply because we have chosen the path of “delight-first business building.” For us, this includes incorporating Human Design wisdom into every aspect of our business.
So when we’ve had calls to make business decisions but something hasn’t felt right, we’ve decided to wait instead of pushing ahead. And, if we hadn’t done that, if we insisted on meeting arbitrary deadlines simply because the world says “Have deadlines! Insist on accountability!” then we wouldn’t be able to incorporate the knowing that arose from Saturday’s class.
Because my schedule would have already been booked, booked, booked with things that didn’t light me up and I wouldn’t have the space to incorporate this new insight.
I suspect that I am going to be spending a lot of time in in-person classrooms this year, both as a teacher and as a student. That’s my best guess about what my 10 out of 10 “more of this!!!!” response in the classroom was telling me. And, if Human Design is real, then waiting until I got that response instead of forcing things to happen on my own timeline – it’s going to make a real difference. Both in my level of satisfaction and in the business results.
So, if you happen to be a Generator or Manifesting Generator, I wish you the patience to wait for the response. Because that feeling – mmm. I hope your days are filled with it.
Xo,
A Human Design nerd who also accepts that all of this might be made up
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Morning Musings is a delight-first writing practice where I make a cup of coffee, dance around my house a little bit, then put my fingers on the keyboard and see what comes up.
Some folks find these musings helpful. If you know anyone who might like this musing, please share it freely.
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