Be your authentic, magical, amazing self.
If you’ve known me for a while, you know that I’m an intuitive empath and medium. I sense energy on every level and pay attention to the signs – both warnings and gifts. Last week I noticed some blue jeeps either following me, or somewhere nearby, which did not feel random at all. I hardly ever see blue jeeps, but here was one on Wednesday and three on Thursday as I was on my way to my energy healing session to work on some specific things for my business.
When you are leveling up in any area of your life – people will come for you (usually not directly either) – test you – trigger you – try to sabotage you – copy you – berate you…..have you noticed this?
I got the sense that I’m being watched again – or that Archangel Michael (royal blue color) was showing up to remind me I’m protected and guided. Could be both but this morning I received confirmation other professionals are watching me again and are not happy.
To me that is a clear sign I’m stepping again into somewhere new – something that is needed on the planet – and I’m meant to keep going. And I shall.
The big questions I have for you – aspiring new professional are… Are you creating what needs to be added to the world and doesn’t (or barely) exists? Or are you copying or piggybacking on someone else’s work? Are you being your authentic self? Or do you need someone to promote you before you will promote yourself?
Starting a Business
We all start somewhere. Here is the short version of my story.
After being a genealogist for almost two decades, taking the classes and my kids starting kindergarten, I started a genealogy business in 2010. That business was modeled off of the genealogy businesses at the time, I was mentored by someone well-known in the community at that time, and took all the “required” education programs like ProGen and attended and spoke at conferences. I wrote one WWII book that year and my entire business changed to 99% military and 1% genealogy. I went from only taking research clients to also research and writing and publishing books for clients – genealogy and military.
I developed the 2-part research strategy to research any veteran from WWI – Vietnam even if the records burned. I wrote the books and started teaching classes. I married a Dutch man and was living between Chicago and Amsterdam for many years while continuing my work and expanding to many experiences around military and healing in Europe. His illness, his late mother’s WWII trauma, and his eventual death led me to study anticipated grief, grief & loss, war trauma, inherited trauma, family patterns, and related subjects. I did this in part to save myself and not die with him, but my military clients were also asking for this. I added ancestral healing and war/inherited trauma resources to my business in various forms and people are showing up for it.
And you know what – no other military or genealogy research firm was or is doing all this. Which has been both a blessing and a curse.
The Blessing and the Curse
The work I do is deep soul work and not everyone is at a place they can understand that on an energetic level. Everyone is on their own journey. Everyone has their own life lessons to learn and things to do in this lifetime.
Many of my readers are those in their families who are here to break the cycles. Find the truth. Stop the repeating toxic patterns. Heal the family and personal trauma. Bring to the world what doesn’t exist. You get it. Other’s don’t and that is OK! You are here for a different mission.
When you are someone who is different, magical, intuitive, empathic, shine too brightly, are “more” than others, etc., you may be cast out, judged, and hated for the gifts you bring to the world, your work, or your family. But you know this and keep working on yourself and leveling up. You continue to bring to the world what doesn’t exist. What is needed. You see what others do not. However, this can feel very isolating.
As someone who has been able to see what doesn’t exist, see the patterns others can’t, and have the drive to create what is needed – I can say it is downright lonely at times. There isn’t always someone to bounce ideas off of who will “get it”. There aren’t books or classes to take to help you move forward – you have to go create that. I think you get the idea.
The question is – are you up for this challenge and the isolation and judgment that comes with it? I promise you – there are people who will show up to support you, guide you, and hold space with you, but only if you are brave enough to stand alone and shine.
The Why for this Article
This might trigger some readers and if so – good. Look at what this information is triggering and consider doing some inner work to let that go.
We all carry baggage, fears, trauma, and inherited ancestral trauma. This impacts us in all areas of life – work, relationships, personal, hobbies, travel, you name it. Some of us choose to work through those layers and heal to level up. Others remain stuck or go at a much slower pace. Again – everyone is on their own path and healing timeline. And, it is a choice to do the inner work or not. But the more you are your authentic self, do the inner work and raise your frequency, the easier it becomes to see where others have not.
It will also attract new clients to you who match your frequency and what you are here to offer.
In 2014 when I released several of my genealogy and family war books, and my WWII Research book series, another professional emailed and yelled at me for not including them as a researcher in my books. At that time I had never heard of this person or the business, so why would I include someone in books that took me four years of thousands of my own dollars and unpaid research and writing hours to create and publish these books? No one else was doing this work. My response was that I didn’t know this person existed and had not worked with them so included only those I had worked with. That did not make this individual happy. I moved on and kept doing what I was here to do.
Recently this individual made comments about me again online – but only after someone else introduced this person to the forum in which the conversation was taking place. Apparently I’m still triggering people after 12 years. That is their inner work to do, not mine.
You know what I became aware of thinking about all this? First, I know other professionals have been using my work for inspiration and to downright copy what I’ve created. This has been happening for more than 12 years. Imitation is the best form of flattery they say – but also a sign of insecurity, laziness, and the inability to think for oneself perhaps.
Second, this particular individual is always attaching themselves to others who have created something larger than what they have done. Or in this case – they have someone introduce them so they can chime in. It’s a pattern that I’m sure others are seeing.
As a professional – new or seasoned – you have to consider if you are behaving in such a way – how will others perceive you? Will they hire you because you can get what they need at a cheaper rate than someone else? Or will they walk away because they see the games you play and that you don’t have the knowledge someone else does?
How are you presenting yourself to the world? And if you are playing games now and then – ask yourself why. Address those triggers and whatever is creating that in your reality and let it go. Rise. Continue what you are here to do. We all fall back into old patterns now and then but when you are consciously working on yourself and creating new in this world, you will recognize it and stop much faster.
Create What YOU are Here to Create
The invitation I have for you after all this is to look at what YOU are here to create. It doesn’t matter if it upsets another professional or triggers them. If no one is doing what you were designed to do – go for it.
I should clarify that over the years I have been triggered, questioned myself and what I was put here to create over the years when people criticize or copy me because they only see one way to be a professional. Let me tell you – there are many ways. If you really want to stand out – be different, use your intuitive gifts, create what others are not, and get loud in a kind way.
Humanity is shifting every day. Timelines are merging, collapsing, and pushing us to be the better version of ourselves in this NOW moment. More people are waking up and starting their healing journey, seeing the beliefs, behaviors, patterns, and stupid in their worlds (personally and globally). More people are questioning themselves and the world. This allows professionals to bring all this knowledge, experience, and healing to the professional table and share it with others. That genealogy or military client who is struggling with something may come to you because you are sharing your stories of struggle and healing.
Now is the time for professionals to start showing up in bigger ways with their unique gifts. Now is the time for us to get louder and share what we were born to. Are you up to the task? It takes courage to stand alone and shine and speak and create what others will not.
We are all on our own journeys with our own unique gifts to bring to the world. Is it time for you to start shining in a new way?
Would You Like to Learn More?
Join my newsletter list at my online course site and grab a free copy of my new PDF The Research Roadmap. This will guide you through the information you need to start a project and which classes to take to move your research forward.
If you would like to learn how to research, click here to see upcoming small group coaching sessions to learn how to use Fold3, NARA Catalog, research Army or Navy service, find POW records, and more. These sessions come with extensive workbooks, plenty of Q&A for attendees, my 2-part research strategy and the replay. Need a researcher? I am taking research and book clients – email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to set up a free consult to discuss your project.
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