Behind The Scenes:

Human Design Spotlight: Projector Success

When I was first starting my business, I started networking like crazy, like any fresh entrepreneur. Within a matter of days, I ended up on a Zoom call with a Human Design Analyst who felt compelled to look at my chart and offer pointers on how best to structure my business.

That became the entry point to a deep dive (dare I say obsession) with the Human Design typing system. I dove into every resource I could find and felt compelled to commit to living in true alignment with my energy type.

For those of you unfamiliar, human design is a self-knowledge system that blends pieces of astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalah, the chakra system, and quantum physics into one chart. Using your birth date, time, and location, it generates a “body graph” that maps out how your unique energy is wired. How you best make decisions, how you’re meant to use (and conserve) your energy, and how you’re designed to interact with the world around you. There are five energy types — Manifestors, Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors, and Reflectors — and each one has its own strategy for moving through life in a way that feels aligned instead of forced. Think of it less as a personality test and more as an owner’s manual for your energy.

I figured, no better way to guide others using human design than to go all in on running my business as a Projector.

We all have a unique way our energy functions, a purpose on this planet, and a way that we draw others toward us. As a projector, my “strategy” to live in alignment is to “wait for the invitation”… in other words, it is not my job to initiate, or even respond, but rather to pause and wait for others to invite me into their worlds.

Now, that’s pretty confusing, given that most marketing strategies rely on you taking action without invitation.

I talk to many other projectors who feel the same, so this week, I feel compelled to share what has worked for me. Perhaps you are a projector reading this, and you can experiment with these same strategies. Or perhaps you’re a different type, and this inspires you to support the projectors in your life in a different way… or even dive into your own aligned strategies. (Something I do with all of my 1:1 clients BTW.)

Here’s what’s worked for me as a projector-run business:

The key to being invited is being RECOGNIZED for your zone of genius..

It is very hard to be recognized when you do not first recognize yourself. A bit of a conundrum for projectors because our energy is designed to be focused on seeing "the other", not "the self". We often see ourselves as an extension of those we spend time with. Which means, you must surround yourself with people who can see the REAL you. I've found projector-to-projector relationships are fantastic for this. Ask yourself, who do I feel the most calm, at peace, and at ease around? You also want to give yourself plenty of time to be alone, just in your own energy. What comes up for you when you are alone? Desires, interests, values?

So many projectors are masquerading as generators. Addicted to “doing,” when it is not our job on this planet to be the great “do-ers” of anything, but rather to guide others. Yet so many projectors have fears around not doing enough. Their productivity is tied to self-worth. And we really tend to struggle with sensing when enough energy output is enough. Many projectors find themselves burned out and bitter after years of overfunctioning… and this is often when they find me. ;)

So, to be INVITED to guide our clients, we have to be RECOGNIZED and invited for the RIGHT things in the first place. Which means we need to be discerning with invitations, and we must recognize our gifts first.

Here’s a personal example:

Before I started my business, when I worked as the clinic manager for a chiropractic office, I was the poster child for an overfunctioning Projector. I received praise all the time for what a great job I did. I’d gone above and beyond for many many years, signaling to those around me that it was okay, when really, deep down, it was not.

I was recognized constantly for the amazing job I did, but it was the job of a generator, not a projector. And I let this feed my desire for recognition because surely some recognition was better than none, right?

I was invited, all the time, into roles and tasks that were not right for me — roles that required more doing — and I accepted because it just felt good to be invited.

But after years of this, a bitterness started to brew. I knew that I should be coaching (it is correct for me to be guiding others… I didn’t know that at the time, but I did have a strong feeling that coaching was my calling). The bitterness and burnout were signals that I was not on the correct path.

And after my second child was born, I hit rock bottom. Burned out to the max, deep in postpartum depression, mounting financial pressure, and the recognition I received no longer scratched that itch.

I felt like screaming: YOU DON’T SEE ME.

But in reality, I did not see myself, so how could they?

Choosing to walk away from that role and start my business was the first step in choosing to see and honor myself.

So here’s what I’ve learned:

In order to be invited, you must be recognized, and in order to be recognized, you must first recognize yourself.

The more I recognize my zone of genius and my unique approaches to life, and the more I give myself permission to spend my time and focus exploring, learning, observing, and expanding my expertise, the faster the invitations flow in.

Second, you must be discerning with the invitations you receive. If I am asked to speak on a topic that is not my zone of genius, I have learned to decline. If I have the sense that someone does not know me for ME, I am cautious in allocating my time. If a client wants to hire me to help them with something outside of my genius zone, I will refer them elsewhere.

I also do not agree to do things I do not want to do. The people pleasing must go, fellow projectors. When you overextend yourself, you dilute that magical energy within. Stop doing that. When the signal is strong, the invitations come flowing in.

Third, you must make yourself invite-able. If you are burned out, bitter, and your life force energy is dull, do you think people are going to want to invite you to anything? Not a chance.

So first and foremost is tending to yourself. You are most magnetic when you are rested and have that pointed, focused energy ready to guide others when invited. You cannot be in your full expression when you’re depleted.

I do this by having a team of caregivers in my life — nannies, daycares, grandparents, teachers — humans that can assist me in raising my children so my husband (also a projector) and I do not carry that responsibility alone. I also regularly outsource things like cooking, laundry, and my social media. Tasks that are not my zone of genius, I can happily hand over. (I used to be so afraid to spend money on these things, but every time I uplevel in the support I receive, I uplevel my income. So I am a firm believer, projectors — do not hold back here.)

Also… naps. Naps are key.

And if you are going to send an invitation to someone, you need to know how to find them. So projectors, you must stop hiding. You must make yourselves known for who you are (truly) and what it is that you do, in your own unique flavor. You must make it EASY for others to invite you.

I do this by having a well-established social media presence, branding that reflects my unique take on business, and I take opportunities like this newsletter to make my ideas, opinions, and thoughts accessible to others. This doesn’t mean that I need to burn myself out trying to be the loudest online, but it does mean that I cannot be in hiding.

And I focus on creating many pathways that lead to my front door, so to speak. I have offerings that range from $27 to $10k, making it easy for people to say yes. I focus on staying in my zone of genius within those offerings, and I build structures that support me. I have learned that I do not need to make myself available all of the time, and I have structured my life (and business) that way.

My business has grown and evolved over the past 3 years in ways that continue to bring me into more and more alignment, because that has truly been the idea from the start. This is the way I coach my clients, too.

Alignment creates ease in your life and business. Money, opportunities, success... they flow in faster. That’s the whole point. Not hustling harder, not doing more, not contorting yourself into structures and strategies made for someone else.

This work is different for every human design type, but the principle is the same: commit to taking aligned action and things begin to flow.

So if something in this resonated, if you’re tired of the bitterness, the burnout, the sense that you’re working against your own energy instead of having it work FOR YOU, I’d love to guide you there. Click below to book a call and get started creating a life and business designed for YOU.