Letter from Jennifer

As some of you may know, I spent last summer talking to dozens of exceptional entrepreneurs for Carve Your Own Road. One that left an inspiring impression on me was Daryn Kagan, who you may remember as an anchor on CNN. In our interview, she said something that rang true for me: “Inspiration comes in little pieces. Once you align yourself with your passion, inspiration shows up and things start to unfold. You just have to be open and aware.” 

That has been so true for me. This project started out as a book writing adventure. Today, so many other things are starting to happen....things I never even dreamed of when I started on this path. 

Another entrepreneur you’ll find on www.CarveYourOwnRoad.com is Lynn Robinson, a bestselling author and expert on the topic of intuition. Intuition is a powerful thing, but I think very few of us know how to use its power to further our careers. I’ve been fortunate to know Lynn for several years and I seek her advice when I feel I’m at a crossroads, or just stuck altogether. She helps me to assess the situation I’m in and almost always validates that my gut instincts are right on target.

Working with her has helped me to relax and trust my intuition – but, it’s taken some practice! One of my issues is being patient and allowing things to unfold, rather than trying to force it to happen.  I think many entrepreneurs struggle with the “make it happen” mentality. That go-getter attitude makes us successful, but it can drown out our intuition. The key I’ve learned is in finding the right balance.

I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration and intuition lately, and I’ve realized that they really go hand in hand. Intuition sometimes hits you with a strong gut feeling about something or someone. Inspiration is similar because at times it comes seemingly out of nowhere and hits you like a lightening bolt.  And, when you get that bolt of inspiration, your instincts will tell you it’s the right thing to do.  

This project has been like that in a lot of ways for me. This time last year, my husband, Joe, was shopping for an Airstream and I had an idea for a book on entrepreneurship.  I woke up one morning with the idea to pair the two things together and travel around the country in the Airstream to write the book. My instincts were so strong that I had to do it. I felt so inspired by the idea that I took massive action in that direction.  One year later, Airstream has partnered with us, we’ve traveled around the country and have met some amazing people. 

 

All the Best,

Jennifer