“FORTIFY me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace to my soul that I may be free from all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You so that Your will may be my will” (St. Francis Xavier Cabrini).

I’ve been trying to think of clever topics to write about. Something about writing an article puts me into a formal state of mind where I think I must be academic. And even that word—“academic”—makes my brain freeze. I just stare at the page and stop writing. It feels like so much pressure. 

My brain starts telling me things like…

You have to say something clever.

You have to write powerful sentences.

You have to structure the article well.

The fear response I have is quite clear. No fighting, no running … I just freeze.

So, today I told myself, “Just be yourself. Start typing.”

My Secret to Doing Business

I’m not very academic. I don’t typically fit into a box or score well on tests. I like to carve out my own path, and I like to challenge people to do the same. I like to speak the truth.

I’m also extremely Catholic. Not a little bit, not kinda, but all-in Catholic. I’m a pray the Rosary every day, go to daily Mass, consecrate myself to Jesus through Mary, prayer book-loving Catholic. I pray a lot. I talk to the Lord every day, and I listen to what he says to me. I often write down what I hear.

This is my secret to doing business: talking with the Lord.

God Is Calling You

So, instead of writing a “top 10 marketing tips in 2023” article, I asked the Lord, “What do they need to hear?”

What came to me was, “Just go for it. Tell them to go for it.”

You see, God is calling you to business. It’s a strange calling, really. It’s still strange for a woman to want to do business—and even stranger for a Catholic mother, if you are one.  I wish it weren’t true, but it is. It’s still strange in 2023 for a woman to stand up and say, “I want to run a business.”

And, because it still feels scary culturally, your brain might put up a fight.

Sometimes, it’ll be a sassy, childish fight.

You’re dumb. You don't know anything. No one wants to buy from you. You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re too young. You’re too old.

Sometimes, it’ll be a mature, well-thought-out-list-of-excellent-sounding-reasons fight.

You should just be with the kids. You can’t take on that kind of risk. You don’t know what is going to happen in the future. God isn’t really calling you; you just want this yourself.

Brains are very clever, you see. Your brain hates risk and discomfort and inefficiency, and since business involves a whole lot of all three, your brain really hates entrepreneurship.

Do It Scared

So, your job is to talk to the Lord. Clarify his calling for you, and then fight for that calling. Write down what he tells you, and read it every day.

Then, when your brain throws a tantrum—and it will, often—you can talk it down.

Listen brain, I know you're scared. Business is uncomfortable and unpredictable, but it’s OK. God called us to this, and he will give us everything we need when we need it. I trust him, brain. Remember all the ways he’s taken care of us? He’s going to do that here, too.

Your brain will never stop being scared of business; that’s why it’s so common for business people to say, “Do it scared.”

If you feel scared—which is completely normal, because you have a human brain—stop working. Take a deep breath. Remember what God has told you. Find a sense of peace, and then get back to work.

This is the fight we are called to.

You are called to fight for peace—the peace that comes from knowing that God has called you to a mission that involves business.

Go for it. Don’t hold back. Don’t let your brain trick you into hiding and playing small. Don’t let your friends or the culture tell you that business isn’t for you.

If God is with you, who could stand against you?

Run your business from peace.

It’s absolutely possible, and I think it’s the goal we should all have in our work.

Sterling Jaquith lives in Northern Idaho and homeschools her six kiddos. She helps women build simple, holy, and profitable businesses. She teaches her clients how to rely on the Holy Spirit for business decisions and oh man, it's a much more peaceful way to run a business! Her Market Like An Evangelist workshop is very popular and is free at www.madeforbusinesscoaching.com. She also runs a life coaching membership for Catholic moms at www.madeforgreatness.co.