#97 - Wayfinding – Rediscovering Your Why – How to reconnect with your purpose when your business starts to drift

SUMMARY

When your business starts to feel off, it’s often a sign that you’ve drifted from your “why.” In this thoughtful and gently playful episode, I talk about reconnecting with your purpose—what lights you up, what matters to you, and why you started in the first place.

Whether you’re feeling stuck in the daily swirl or just getting started with your business, this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect, and get back in touch with what makes your work feel meaningful. This is the first in a special series based on my Wayfind–Organise–Launch framework.

FULL SHOW NOTES WITH TAKEAWAYS + LINKS
 patternshift.fm

BEST QUOTE FROM THE EPISODE

“Your why isn’t a mission statement—it’s something you live, not laminate.”

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 Simon Sinek – Start With Why (Book)

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 Simon Sinek – TED Talk

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 Ja, Wol Community – Join the Conversation

 You know me as a guide, mentor and teacher, but I've also set off on a new adventure, coaching. Coaching gets a bad rep sometimes, but when it's done right, it can be really transformational. As part of my coaching education, I'll soon need to do real coaching sessions. And it could be a really great opportunity for you to experience it at no or low cost. If you've ever been curious about working with me in this way, now's the time. Just send me an email: info@ja-wol.com

This episode was sponsored by Ja, Wol. I promote my own services and products in my podcast rather than working with sponsors. I will share the odd-discount for things I fully support and use.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Wayfinding & Yavel Framework
• 2:41 The Business Drift: When You Lose Your Way
• 8:57 Reconnecting with Your Why
• 14:03 Practical Ways to Recenter Your Business
• 22:20 Your Why as a Compass, Not a Cage
• 25:21 Episode Wrap & Community Invitation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, welcome, or welcome back to Pattern Shift. My name is Saskia and in this episode, as part of a series where we talk about the Yavel framework, this episode focuses on wayfinding, rediscovering your why, how to reconnect with your purpose when your business starts to drift or, alternatively, if you haven't started your business, how to figure out why you want to do this. This episode is part of a special series where I walk you through the Javel business framework Vol, standing for Wayfind, organize and Launch. Also, of course, vol is Dutch for wool and the brand name is Javelool, which is actually translates to yes, wool, but in German it means something like yes or hell yes, and so it's a play on a German word and Dutch words and basically says hell yes, choose wool. So over time I kind of build a framework and I wanted my name to reflect that framework. Jevel is a playful name that reflects my business philosophy. The J and the A, which means yes, in Dutch stands for joy and action. I believe that good business starts with what lights you up and that it is built through intentional steps. I'm very much an action taker myself and so that part of the brand Javel JA joy and action really fits brand Yawool, j-a, joy and Action really fit. And then W-O-L WOL or wool in English, stands for Wayfind, organize and Launch my three-part approach to building a sustainable, values-led business that actually fits your life. So if you're looking for clarity, ease and a more joyful way to run your business, this series is for you.

Speaker 1: 2:08

Hey there, and welcome to Pattern Shift, the podcast where creative business owners like you learn to build a business that's inspiring, fun and sustainable. I'm Saskia de Vuyter, a business strategist, guide maker and all-round creative entrepreneur. I help business owners in the needle and fiber craft world, just like you, navigate all those icky words branding, marketing and strategy in a way that actually works for your creative brain. Here we talk about everything from running a values-driven business to simplifying your marketing without burning out. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your business, you're in the right place. So settle in, grab a cup of tea, coffee or, you know, burich, ladich, you do you, and let's get started. Today we're starting right at the heart of it all. Your why? Because when your business starts to feel off track or when you're just starting a new business, reconnecting or connecting with your purpose is like connecting to your inner compass, and in this episode we're going to explore how to rediscover what really matters. And when I say rediscover, that's the focus, because lots of you already have a business or you might be starting. So whenever I say rediscover, I'm also talking about discovering it for the first time, exploring what really matters and why it is the foundation for everything else you build.

Speaker 1: 4:17

So let's start with the drift drifting away from why you started your business in the first place, the feeling that your business still works on the outside but something feels off. You're like going through the motions. You slowly started making decisions based on what you think you should be doing instead of what actually lights you up, actually gives you joy. I've been there and for me it looked like stepping into the shop my yarn shop at the time and basically just starting to clean up until the first customer came in and then, before I knew it, it was the end of the day and I hadn't done anything to actually move my business forward or grow my business. I was just going through the motions of keeping things tidy and helping customers and I kind of felt drifted. I knew in the back of my mind that what I needed to do is spend some time reconnecting to my purpose and all of that joyful feeling. But I didn't have the time or let's say that differently I didn't take the time because you'll never have the time If you just do, if you're just like. I don't know what they were called In Dutch. They were called the doers the little green man in the frag of a rock that were building, building, building. I think they were called builders or something like that. In Dutch they're called doers, the dooners, and they're just doing. It doesn't seem like they're going anywhere with it because the freggles are constantly eating the builds. So, yeah, you want to get off that feeling, you want to reconnect to the joy of it all, but it usually doesn't really happen all that. Once when you notice this has happened. It's kind of tiny shifts. You say yes to a project that doesn't quite align. You tweak your messaging to sound more professional, but now it doesn't really sound like you.

Speaker 1: 6:29

There was a time when I started to say we at Yavo and it was just me, and I think a lot of us do this. If you write your newsletter or if you're on social media, you say we do this or that. Well, in fact, it is just you. Because it sounds more professional. I stopped sharing pictures of my children on social media and showed only products, and, although I really still believe that that was a good thing to stop sharing pictures of my children for a while there I took out all the human of my business. I was just showing the products and there was no human there anymore, just yarns and tools and needles. That wasn't really me, because I'm all about community and connecting with people over craft, over knitting. My messaging wasn't in alignment with who I was as a business owner, or my brand for that matter, but I was building it, I was getting to it. I didn't at that time do a step-by-step to figure out what my brand was, because that just grew with time and I kind of also started to work, work, work, work, work. Like it was. It was energetic and at times, of course, it was fun, but there wasn't a direction to it.

Speaker 1: 8:11

Sometimes you can stop checking in with your values because you are so caught up in the day-to-day that you kind of forget what's important to you and how you want to come across as a business. Now it's okay. You can find your way back if this all sounds familiar to you or if you are. As I said, right at the beginning of your business and you want to figure out who you are, why you're actually doing this. It's quite interesting because, let's say, there's a person in my life that is right at the beginning of something, as a friend, as a coach in training, as a consultant and a creative business strategist, or whatever hat you want to put on my head. There's so many ways I can help in a situation like that. But what I first said to them is discover why actually you want to do this. Why would you start something, and then you can decide what it can look like.

Speaker 1: 9:19

Okay, so discovering or rediscovering your why is it's not just a pretty mission statement like a business-y type of this is what we're all about. It is more than that. It is about. It is more than that. It is, as I say, the W in W-O-L stands for wayfinding. It's the kind of coaching that I'm learning to do.

Speaker 1: 9:42

It is finding your way through building your business, growing your business and your why is your anchor, your compass, your foundation. It is what you use to make decisions, to make your journey easier. It's allowed to evolve. You don't have to have it right away. It's something that grows, that changes, but it's really important that you check in with yourself regularly to see if you're still on the right path. Who you were when you started your business might not be who you are now. That's okay. That's just what growth is, and this part of the wayfinding stage is about pausing long enough to ask yourself a couple of questions. So, journalers, take your pen, take your journal and write down these questions and, after this, take some time and write about it.

Speaker 1: 10:49

Why did I start this in the first place, or why do I want to start this in the first place? What do I actually care about right now, and what kind of business do I want to wake up to every day? What lights you up, what brings you joy, or what is so important to you that you're willing to give it your time, your love and your energy. You don't need perfect clarity. You just need to sit with yourself, feel your feels and okay, bear with me here feel into your body. I know, I know some of you are like, please, sauce, don't go there. But it's true, though. It's really true, because when you're feeling a little nauseous each morning, that's your body telling you something, that something is off, and it could be well, something like medical. But it could also be feeling nervous about not being on track. That happens to me. I get nauseous, I get a stomach that's confused, and if that happens for a long stretch of time, I need to listen to my body and I don't care if that sounds woo. That's just how we are built as humans. We're not just a brain on legs, we are a fully functioning to and fro brain body type unit. So listen to what's going on inside you and ask yourself those questions why did I start this or why do I want to start this? What am I looking for? What kind of feeling, what kind of goal, what kind of effect? What do I actually care about in life in general, or right now, in this moment? And what kind of business do I want to wake up to every day? Like imagining waking up? Like imagining waking up, opening your eyes and going oh yeah, I get to go do this because of this.

Speaker 1: 13:03

So if you find it hard to get to that feeling, really just sit down with pen and paper and if that's hard, turn on your recorder on your phone and just talk into your phone. Just find a friend, have some coffee and say listen. I've got three questions I need to work through and I need you to help me with this. And if that's hard, this is just coming up. I swear this wasn't planned. I do have coaching sessions available. I'm still learning to be a coach. That also means that it's at a very low cost, so if you want to know more about that, just get in touch with me through the usual links and whatever you might call it in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 13:49

You don't need perfect clarity, you just need to listen to yourself, your body, your mind, your everything. Okay, back to the topic. Here's a few things that help me recenter. So when I feel unrooted, I go back to a few simple things that always help me out. Of course, journaling whether that's bullet journaling or morning pages or just writing what's in your mind. It always helps to just let the dust settle, find a way to organize all the yarn. That's a tangled mess, and it really really helps me. Tangled mess, and it really really helps me.

Speaker 1: 14:39

Another thing that helps to recenter is to be honest with myself and look at what I'm avoiding. Sometimes I feel resistance and it can point straight to something that's out of alignment. So I think the best example of that is some use of social media for me and how I look at that and how I want or don't want to use that in my business to feel avoidant and resisting stuff, that I need to listen to that and I started doing it and it had some effects on my business, definitely, but it also brought me a lot and it feels so much better to be able to be myself and to do the communication and marketing part in a way that fits me, which is a lot slower and a lot more personal than social media. So that was a big one for me. So look at what I'm avoiding, think about why that is, and that will give you a really good idea of what's out of alignment.

Speaker 1: 17:00

Then another really cool thing I mean I think it's a really good thing is talking to other business owners Hearing others reflect on their business and what helps them and what brings them in alignment with what they love doing. Just seeing their faces lit up when they talk about something or when they have an idea. That also helps me to get more clarity. So for me that means whenever I'm doing a wins and woes session, which is basically group coaching in a way, with my clients, it also helps me a lot. So finding community, talking to other business owners is super, super helpful as well.

Speaker 1: 17:47

And you know, sometimes I just need to go for a walk and leave all the questions and trust that the answers will come when I'm ready. Lately I've been thinking a lot about that and as we're getting a puppy soon just a few weeks more and two days we're visiting again, so I'm very excited. But learning about puppies and how they grow and how they learn, you can only train them for a minute or maybe a minute and a half before they already need to sleep again and they need the sleep, the time to really have what they learned in their brain. And when you do a longer set of exercises and training, it will overflow their mind and they won't be able to learn as well as they would have with a shorter training session and then a longer amount of sleeping and rest. And we know that that's the same for humans. I know that that's the same for me Every time when I have a bigger break.

Speaker 1: 19:01

So in the summer and during Christmas time I get my best ideas and that's because I'm not constantly putting new information in my brain. There must be a better way to say that my brain. There must be a better way to say that. So, yeah, sometimes a walk and then trying not to listen to a podcast but just walk or to craft without also doing something else super hard for me. When I talk about it I already get a little bit frustrated because I just want to, I just keep going, going, going. But yeah, I should not do that too much, because I know that when I allow myself space to think and then I don't mean practically actually think, but just have a little bit of brain quiet, and it's never quiet, I tell you, it's never quiet.

Speaker 1: 20:01

But perhaps that's quite an insight. Perhaps that's why I keep busy so much, because if I add new stuff to my brain, I at least kind of control it. Okay, let's not get into that, that's something for coaching or therapy, who knows. Yeah, allow yourself some grace and some space and some calm and quiet. And if you can meditate or if you're open to meditate, that is perfect to do that as well. I, weirdly enough, have been able to learn how to meditate, not for a really long stretch of time, but my challenge now is trying to do it on a daily basis and getting it into a routine one way or another. So I'm working on that, but comes all, all comes down to the same thing allowing your brain to to come up with some answers by itself. Sometimes sounds like sounds really easy, but it actually is. But doesn't really sound like something you can trust, but it doesn't really sound like something you can trust. But I'm telling you, I'm telling you, trust it, it can really help.

Speaker 1: 21:24

Okay, on to the next thing. I want to say again that your why is your compass? It is not a cage. You are not restricted to certain things or behavior, because you have a certain reason for why you started your business. As I said before, it can and it should evolve. You are a whole person. You grow, you shift, you experience life, stuff happens, and so your business has to grow with you. Your goal is not to find a rigid statement that never changes. The goal is to stay in conversation with your purpose and to be in alignment with what is important to you, to notice when things feel off and then to gently steer yourself back towards what matters and what's important, and that is the wayfinding. So it's not about charging forward with a detailed plan, but navigating through, listening, noticing, adjusting and being open and curious. It's a mindset.

Speaker 1: 22:45

So here's another journaling prompt. If you want to try this right now, a tiny check-in. Here we go. What's one thing I've been doing in my business that no longer feels like me? Okay, you can pause and you can write, or you can come back to this. And then another question what would it look like to let that go? This can be super helpful, especially if you're in a season of change like the one I'm in right now with my puppy and everything shifting, feeling like it's going to be upside down. My whole routines are going to be different. I love my routines. Also, I have a hard time maintaining them. People who also have this. You know what I'm talking about. Sit with that for a while, write about it, and I hope that really helps you.

Speaker 1: 23:42

So, just closing up, if you have felt a little bit foggy, unsure where you're headed next, just take a break, pause. Come back to your why, even if it's messy. Back to your why, even if it's messy, even if it's half formed, let a quiet voice inside you remind you why you started in the first place. And in the next episode we will move into organize the O in Yavol and we'll talk about how to make space in your business to actually support your values and your energy, and this in a compass stuff that we all talked about today. That's where it all begins.

Speaker 1: 24:26

Thank you so much for listening. If you want to learn more about finding your why, simon Sinek has written a couple of amazing books. He has an amazing podcast. I love his work. Written a couple of amazing books, he has an amazing podcast. I love his work. Didn't go into it that much in this episode, but if you feel like you want to dive in a little deeper, find his work and you won't be disappointed. Okay, if this episode resonated and you are craving some community around these kinds of questions, come join us in the Yavo community. It's only a small amount of money each month. It helps to pay for the cost of making this podcast and, as a thank you, you get a loving community in return. We are honest, we're a little bit messy, we're creative, everything comes up in conversation. We talk about running a business that works for you, and find the link in the show notes, obviously. Thank you so much. Don't forget to eat and knit your fibers Bye. Thank you.