Tools

Px6: Self-Assessment for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Rollout: Part I (September 23, 2008)

We’re rolling out a new tool here at Depth Astrology — a self-assessment tool for aspiring entrepreneurs, using the structure of the horoscope chart as a template.

Below is Part I of the rollout, which will occur in several stages over the next month. After the final installment has published here, we’ll roll it all up into a booklet that will be downloadable for free on this page. In the meantime, try it out and let us know what you think by filling out the Comments box below!

Introduction
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It’s a daring act that, like parenthood or intimate partnership, can only be described as a complete change in lifestyle. Your resources, outlook, relationships, feelings about money, motivations, sense of time, sense of self — and much more — go through dramatic changes when you leave a regular job and start working for yourself.

So it only makes sense that we take stock of our whole lives—not just our skills, our assets and our price point—when we ponder jumping off the cliff of a stable paycheck into the wide-open air of self-employment. Here, we offer a different way of doing just that.

Why Astrology?
It doesn’t matter if you “believe” in astrology or not. But any way you cut it, the horoscope chart is a useful metaphor for comprehensively assessing your life. Developed over thousands of years through keen observation of the human psyche, the horoscope chart gives us an organized and systematic way to think about the different areas of our lives and consider how each one impacts the other.

The chart’s basic structure is a circle divided into 12 parts, or “houses.” Even without regard to planets, signs and such, the themes and arrangement of these houses alone can spur valuable thinking about your strengths, challenges and ways of operating in different spheres of life. It also shows how different parts of life relate, so you can easily become aware of how acting in one area might affect a completely different function in your life. No other tool does that as quickly, easily and naturally as the horoscope chart.

Horoscope Chart Structure
The chart circle is the structure used in the Px6 Self-Assessment for Aspiring Entrepreneurs. Notice that the circle is divided into six pairs of houses, called axes. Each axis symbolizes a core way of thinking, feeling and acting in the world. Each one also shows how the inner self and the external world come together to influence our thoughts, feelings and actions.  And each axis holds a tension that must be balanced in order to maximize effectiveness in life and in business.

1/7 Axis: Promises. The first and seventh houses signify the promises you make and perceive through your encounters with other people — and how those promises are fulfilled. Work on this axis can help you identify any divergence between what you put out and how you’re perceived.

2/8 Axis: Possession. The second and eighth houses symbolize the things we own — and the things we wish we owned! It’s a good way to think about assets, needs and desires, as well as about resources and relationships that could benefit your work.

3/9 Axis: Perceptions. The third and ninth houses reflect what you and others know, think and assume within your field. This axis can anchor your fantastic ideas in reality and make sure that your feet are firmly on the ground, even as your head is in the clouds.

4/10 Axis: Progress. The fourth and tenth houses show where you come from and where you’re going. They can help you assess the strength of your support, the nature of what’s expected of you and how your individual goals fit into the structure of support around you. For example, you might be ready for self-employment — but is your family ready for it, too?

5/11 Axis: Promotion. The fifth and eleventh houses ask you to examine your desired audience, your marketing instincts, how you might refine your appeal, how you choose who belongs in your inner circle — and why. It’s good for getting perspective on building a customer/client base.

6/12 Axis: Practice. The sixth and twelfth houses reflect how your innermost feelings and beliefs translate into the way you practice your work every day. How do you support or sabotage your success through the way you talk to yourself? How does your daily conduct seed your beliefs?

How to Use This Self-Assessment
Part I of this self-assessment consists of questions to ask yourself with regard to each house and axis of the horoscope chart. Part II helps you think about how each house impacts the one across from it and how you might resolve any tension or conflict on that axis. Part III gives you pointers about how to think about impacts and influences between different axes.

Throughout the assessment, there is space provided to respond to each question and jot down ideas. Part IV gives you a place to synthesize what you write and create a go-forward plan that works the issues one by one.

Here are some tips for using this assessment tool:

Write down your answers. Take a question, give yourself five or ten minutes, and let your hand do the rest of the work. You might be surprised what your body answers when your mind gets out of the way.

Answer with your instinct first. No censoring, judging or fudging! Are you alarmed to find yourself writing “I need a pig in my court” or “I should just give it all away for free”? Don’t block anything out.  Writing it down doesn’t make it permanent. Some of the best information, ideas and insights come from sub-conscious crazy talk.

Then use your knowledge and wisdom. We don’t know your field, your market or your product. So  though we can pose some compelling questions, only you can determine whether one axis, house or question is truly important to your new venture.

Give yourself time. Respond to one, two or three questions at once—and then stop. Notice when you’re feeling overwhelmed, pressured or resentful. This is not meant to do in one sitting. The psyche can only take so much processing in a day. Let things simmer. Come back later.

Ask trusted people what they think. Show them your answers or ask them the questions without telling them your responses. See what they say, and learn from them.

Get support if you’re overwhelmed. It’s possible for a tool like this to become counterproductive if it overwhelms you or stresses you out. Pay attention to how you’re feeling, and take care of yourself throughout the process.

Take me to the first exercise.