Life is not linear – this came as a surprise to me. As someone who held a very linear world view, I envisioned myself staying in my job, paying my mortgage off, amassing a small fortune and having a very comfortable future. I was well and truly on my safe, linear path.
Yet this way of thinking about the financial side of life was at odds with the other side of my personality. The part that did tarot readings, meditated, used affirmations and believed in signs from the universe. And for a while, most of my life actually, I’ve found myself treading the path between two very oppositional world views.
When I started this blog, I envisioned myself posting hints and tips about financial freedom, as well as sharing my own story in an attempt to help other people who wanted to be financially free. Yet as I’ve been writing my recent posts, I’ve started to realise that it’s becoming so much more.
The more I write, the more I feel like I’m finding my own voice and I’m wanting to share my thoughts on more than just money and finances.
Regular readers may notice that the tone of some of my posts have changed. And they have. I suppose this blog, just like myself, is very much a work in progress.
I feel like I’ve reached a point in my life where I need to balance the two parts – the linear, financially savvy part and the more quiet, introspective and intuitive part.
This post is going to reflect on how I’ve reached the conclusion that sometimes in life, you have to reject the linear and follow the breadcrumb trail.
Breadcrumb 1 – The Pop Up Business School
Life is all about the journey but too often we get hung up on the destination. I’ve learnt recently to follow the breadcrumb trail. In other words, to start saying “yes” to those opportunities that feel right, instead of letting self-doubt creep in.
Opportunities are everywhere, sometimes we don’t see them, sometimes life encourages us to a tiny step and we don’t always know where we’re going. Take, for example, the first breadcrumb which started the trail.
Whilst listening to Choose FI, I’d stumbled across an interview with Alan Donegan, founder of the Pop Up Business School. I liked the sound of it and scurried away to find out more. As I looked at the website I found that there weren’t any courses being held near me. The ones that were within travelling distance were all being held in term-time. As a teacher, I’m unable to take time off outside of the specified holidays, this made it a no go. So I put it on the back burner and hoped that one day forces would collide and I’d be able to attend.
Then lockdown happened and whilst the world was falling apart the Pop Up Business School went virtual. This was an exciting revelation! And although there were still no local courses, I decided to be cheeky and sign up to one that was being held for people at the other end of the country. And I’m so glad I did.
Following that tiny breadcrumb taught me so much about running my own business and it’s one of the reasons I blog regularly today. But it also gave me my second breadcrumb…
Breadcrumb 2 – Mama WhoWho?
Whilst talking about my plans for this blog in one of the Business School’s ‘breakout rooms’, another student said “Oh, like MamaFurFur.” My internal response was “Mama WhoWho?” but I asked him to repeat the name and jotted it down, deciding to track this mysterious person down later.
I did track MamaFurFur down on Instagram and found links to some of her YouTube videos. I didn’t find time to watch many of them at the time but I did enjoy her daily stories about her early morning running ventures. Meanwhile, I continued to work on the things I’d learnt from the Pop Up Business School and started to plan how I could establish my own business.
Breadcrumb 3 – The Prosperity Accelerator Mastermind Group
A few months later, I noticed that MamaFurFur had posted a story about setting up a 30 day Mastermind group. I’d never heard of one of those before. It sounded important and scary and not anything like the sort of thing I’d sign up for. But curiosity got the better of me and I clicked through to her website to take a look.
The sign up cost was £5.00 which seemed too good to be true. But the message was clear – she felt no-one should miss out on an opportunity to participate in a Mastermind group because of a lack of money. After noticing that the start date coincided with my return to work, I decided that I wouldn’t have the time to fully commit, so I closed the page and went on with my day.
The following day, another Insta story emerged announcing that there were still places left. I was confused – for £5.00 there were still places left? I’d expected it to sell out immediately. I took another look and this time decided to sign up, concluding that I’d give it a shot and bow out gracefully if I was struggling for time.
It was yet another breadcrumb that took me off the linear path.
Participating in the group opened my eyes to the prosperity we already have in our lives and resonated with my thinking that we should focus on the journey and not the destination. It helped me consolidate the routines I already had in place and learn others, such as giving and constantly learning.
Breadcrumb 4 – Chicken Roulette Press
At the end of the first week, when we were discussing our plans and intentions. I mentioned my interest in publishing blank journals and notebooks. Jennifer (MamaFurFur) challenged me to have a book published by the end of the 30 days. It felt like a huge stretch but I pushed myself and I did it! As a result Chicken Roulette Press was born.
Breadcrumb 5 – Only A Stones Throw Away
As the 30 days drew to a close, Jennifer announced her plans to extend the group for another 60 days. By this point, I was no longer worried about whether I’d have the time, I’d become completely immersed in the weekly prosperity goals we were setting ourselves and I wanted more.
Of course I was signing up!
What I didn’t expect was to end up starting another business within those 60 days.
Now the inspriation for this one was well and truly a breadcrumb. I was happily working away on Chicken Roulette Press and still learning the ropes of publishing. And then one morning I woke up with a fully formed business plan in my head, complete with images and rhymes.
I initally resisted, knowing that I have a tendency to overstretch myself. However, I kept getting gentle nudges (more breadcrumbs!) in the form of conversations or images that appeared on social media and I knew that I had to act upon what I had been given. So, with the help of my fiancee, Only A Stones Throw Away was born and within the first week of opening we’d made our first sale.
Breadcrumb 6 – Etsy in a Week
It is perhaps no coincidence that I met the wonderful Vari Morris, producer of the Etsy in a Week course during the Mastermind group. And it will probably come as no surprise to you that I followed the breadcrumb trail and attended the course. By this point I was becoming a bit of a breadcrumb trail following pro!
The course was invaluable in helping me navigate the vastness of Etsy and quite literally make my dream a reality! I’d recommend it to anyone.
Follow the breadcrumb trail
That’s as far as I’ve got on my breadcrumb trail so far, but I’m sure more will appear. I’m so pleased that I took the chance and said “yes” as it’s been a wonderful journey so far.
I’ve learnt that life is not linear. Sometimes it presents us with breadcrumbs, just enough for us to take notice and lead us on a slightly different path. It asks us to be brave and take a chance. We don’t know the whole journey, just the next step and when we take it, as if by magic, the next breadcrumb appears.
I went from saying “yes” to the Pop Up Business School to starting two businesses, all within the space of 6 months. And if I’d not followed the breadcrumb trail and signed up, I’d have continued to follow a very linear path. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just a bit predictable.
The breadcrumb trail is magical, it brings the sparkle back into your life and all you have to do is be brave and take that first step. Be open to being curious and see where it leads you.
Who knows, maybe this post is your first breadcrumb? If it is, I wonder where it will take you…