Are You Struggling With Catholic Imposter Syndrome?
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As a busy mom of young kids and an entrepreneur, I am very used to working on my business using little pockets of time throughout my day. I don’t often have the luxury of sitting down at my computer at a specific time to start working for the day, so it hadn’t occurred to me to specifically say a prayer before work until recently.
I had been feeling like something was missing in life and in business for the past couple of months, and I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why I felt unsettled. Something just felt “off.” Then, I found the Made for Business podcast by Sterling Jaquith and she mentioned the idea of letting the Holy Spirit run your business.
Suddenly, all of the lightbulbs went off in my head. How could I have missed this?! I try to pray daily and walk with God through the busy moments in my motherhood journey, but somehow I never thought to include Him in my business. Ooops! I talk with my business moms all the time about the importance of routines in their businesses, so why didn't I think of including prayer into my business routine?!
Once I started praying intentionally over my business and asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me, I started to experience peace. It took the pressure of deciding what to do next off of me because I started asking the Holy Spirit what I should be working on. When I’m writing, whether or not it’s specifically faith-related, I pray that God will give me the right words to help who He wants me to help. It’s been so freeing!
I’m also in a Facebook group through Catholics Online where Catholic business owners can meet, talk, and collaborate, so I reached out to the group and asked if they had a favorite Catholic prayer before starting work. There were some really great suggestions, so I wanted to share them with you here!
1. By far the most popular prayer before beginning work is the Come, Holy Spirit prayer. There are many variations of the prayer, but the most commonly recognized version comes from A Book of Prayers © 1982, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. (ICEL).
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
2. Kathleen West of Meadowcress Boutique prays the Litany for the Small Shop Owner from Abundance of Grace. It’s printed on a prayer card which would be perfect to keep right at your desk. I had never heard of this prayer or Etsy shop before, but I just added it to my favorites because her work is absolutely beautiful!
3. Heather Lebano of House of Love and Laughter prays the Surrender Novena when she really feels like she is struggling in her business. She also shared with me that she prays her own spontaneous prayer, “tell me what you want me to write God. If you want to write —you need to give me the words.” I absolutely love this, and the reminder that even though we have a rich treasure-trove of prayers in our Catholic faith, having an actual conversation with God is another important way to grow in our faith life.
4. Leslie Sholly of Life in Every Limb also shared this post with a prayer to be a better listener. If you’re struggling to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in your business, this is a great prayer to start with!
Praying for the Holy Spirit to guide you in your business daily, even if it’s just a short prayer, is a powerful way to grow in virtue and recenter yourself and your business around God. Even if you don’t run an overtly Catholic ministry, as a Catholic business owner, it’s still essential to keep everything you do Christ-centered!
I would love to hear your favorite Catholic prayers before work too. Please drop me a quick email at andrea@sparklewithgrace.com and let me know what your go-to prayers are for your work and/or business. I’d love to include them in another post.
God Bless!
Andrea is a military wife + busy mom of four young children. She’s a big fan of coffee, Jesus, and glitter- but not necessarily in that order. Andrea is a boars-certified health and wellness coach and has a heart for supporting Catholic moms who want to care for their health without sacrificing their faith or family. Through Fiat Wellness, she helps women build sustainable habits rooted in grace, not extremes. You can learn more about her work at https://fiatwellness.co.
Andrea is also a freelance writer for hire who specializes in creating compelling content and copy for small businesses, bloggers, and solo entrepreneurs. You can learn more about her writing services by emailing her at hello@fiatwellness.co.
Andrea is a cradle Catholic and a certified SoulCore instructor, and the opportunity to write about her faith here on Catholic365 is truly a blessing. When she’s not snuggling babies or chasing toddlers, you can usually find her curled up with a good book or elbow-deep in her latest craft project. Her favorite place on the internet to hang out is Instagram, you can find her there@fiatwellness.co. If you’re not on social media but would still like to connect, please feel free to email her at hello@fiatwellness.co. God bless!
