When you are stuck, and need some help, look for signs, they are everywhere

Signs are everywhere: ‘Turn left’, ‘Turn right’, ‘Welcome to …’ , ‘Exit’, ‘Entrance’. They’re always helping us along, reassuring us we are heading in the right direction. But what about deeper, more meaningful signs? Do you look for signs in your life?

When you are starting something new, and stepping into your new world, you will get so many new experiences, good, bad, ugly. You’ll have many forks in the road where you need to decide what to do next. You’ll have many moments when you wonder: is this the right thing? What is the right thing to do?

Sometimes a little bit of faith, imagination and opening up to some kind of sign can help you. It might be spiritual path for you, and the universe is guiding you, it might a religious belief that’s creating guidance. Whatever your beliefs, and ways you navigate, we can all find signs to help us through.

If we look for signs and think about what we’d like them to tell us, something will turn up. It might be small, or it might be huge.

There was a moment when I was starting my business and struggling to find clients, fed up and feeling uninspired. I was in London for a business networking day. At lunchtime, I went for a wander outside. On one of the buildings along the street, there was a huge graffiti billboard that said: ‘Signs.’ There was no sign shop, and no reason for it to be there, so I decided to take it as a sign. ‘Okay, something great is coming,’ I thought. Let’s look for more signs.

After the workshop, I got on the train and headed home to Emsworth. The train was empty and cold. Opposite me was a guy wearing a huge puffa jacket with faux fur collar. He had top range Dr Dre headphones on while watching his iPad. At Horsham station the train jolts and stalls as it divides into two. It’s always a moment of anticipation hoping you’ve sat in the right carriage. “Welcome to the 7.40pm to Portsmouth calling at . . . “ and the conductor reads out the stations we will be calling at. The man looks up, he lowers the headphones to his neck. “Excuse me, is this going to Bognor?” he asks me in a gentle American accent. “Ah no, the train divides this is going to Portsmouth” I deliver the bad news. “Oh wow. Can I change trains?”

Because I’m a ‘must fix this person immediately’ kind of person I look on the Trainline app. “Looks like you have to go to Portsmouth and get a train back to Horsham and then Bognor” I share. “Oh no” he says “I’ve got a gig at Bognor, I got to be there on time, it’s Ibiza weekender”. “Ah Butlins? I think that’s near me”. I text my husband. “How do you fancy a trip to Bognor tonight? I’m sitting with a DJ who needs to be there but missed the connection.” In a typical my-husband-unfazed-style he texted back ‘OK’.

After offering him a lift, reassuring him it was just 20 mins drive from my stop, and ‘we had no plans anyway’. He agreed to the lift and we pull into the station. As we get off a few things cross my mind. The guy is very tall! I hope my husband has brought the estate car and not the Mini. And I don’t know his name. “I’m sorry I should say I’m Eleanor” “Oh yes, good point, I’m Marshall” he laughs.

At this point a few things start joining together, DJ, Ibiza, Marshall, I realise who he is. I’ve just offered Marshall Jefferson, DJ legend a lift to Butlins.

Of course my husband has brought the Mini. I piled in the back next to my three year daughter who is passively aggressively watching Ben and Holly and not very interested in what else is going on. Marshall gets in the front and off we set. And it’s a brilliant 45 minutes ride (because it’s a bit longer than 20 minutes to Butlins it turns out!). He tells us all about how he got into Djing, and what he is doing now. We pull up to the Butlins in our cosy Mini and my husband puts down the window to security at the barriers and says, “I’m dropping off Marshall”. The lady looks a bit bemused but gives Marshall an envelope that says ‘VIP’ and lets us through.

It’s Ibiza Legends Weekender – people are Up for it everywhere. We drop Marshall off, say good luck, he disappears and comes back with some money “just to say thank you, you saved my life” he laughs, he offers to put us on the guest list if we want to come back at 2am when he is on. As we drive back to Emsworth my husband says “so, that happened”. “It was a sign” I say.

A sign things were going to be OK. A sign to stop get lost in my own head and look up and around.

My energy changed from hopeless business owner to person who gives random DJs lifts to Butlins, a big reminder of exactly who I am. Someone who shows up, brings energy, talks to strangers, offers help. It was a big, massive sign saying ‘Remember who you are, show up. It’s all going to be ok’. It was two weeks later I got a big piece of work and suddenly business picked up.

Marshall didn’t give me the work I wanted, he gave me the energy I needed.

Whether it was a sign, a shift in energy, a moment that just makes you laugh and roll your eyes – it doesn’t really matter. It’s about keeping yourself open to possibility.

Sometimes we have a sign that is our consistent reassurance. Suzanne Penny talked about her butterfly that visits. For me I have two things - the song Africa by Toto (don’t ask, I have no idea!) and squirrels. But sometimes its just a spontaneous thing that comes along and delivers a huge message that we needed.

Signs are all around us, but we have to want to see them.

Look for a sign today, something that will help direct you, something that you needed.

What signs do you see when you need them?

Side note: And that was how I got Marshall Jefferson on Another Door podcast > listen here