Yesterday, I flew a kite. It was the first time in over thirty years. It was exhilarating and joyful.

My husband returned home from a trip. The proverbial question, "What did you bring me?" was answered in the form of a kite for the kids. Andy, my twelve-year old, was eager to try it out. We went to a nearby park. Even before we got to a clearing, Andy was unfurling the string. 

We spent the next hour enjoying the warmth of a late afternoon sun, the unpredictable breeze of a spring day, and the sight of a rainbow-colored object high in the sky.

Reflecting on my experience yesterday, much of it reminded me of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur (and maybe, if I really think about it, how to be successful in life.) Here’s what I learned:

• Make sure your tail is untied. Andy started off in a grove of trees, with the tail of the kite still wrapped tightly into a wad with a rubber band. He gave it a run several times but couldn’t get the kite off the ground, even though there was a strong wind. After realizing the mistake and freeing the tail, the kite took to the wind, effortlessly.

Untying my tail has taken the form of clearing out clutter and carving out time. You’d be amazed at what a few hours at a Starbuck’s, with cell phone and Internet access turned off, can do. A kite’s tail also points to balance, which is part of any successful life.

• You need others to get the kite off the ground. You can’t do it alone. My sons and I took turns holding the kite for each other, lifting it into the air to catch the wind, while one of us ran with string in hand to put everything in motion. I wondered how anyone could ever get enough momentum to do this alone, without the advantage of a few feet of height and a push upwards.

I like to say that we never do anything in the world of significance alone. I’ve been blessed by many people who have served as a sounding board, holding my ideas in clear view to examine more thoroughly, revealing my biases and assumptions, and testing a concept for flight-readiness.

• Feel the current of the wind. It’s only by feeling the tug of the kite string, and pulling it in different directions, that you can find the best current.  I can see how the kite is flying (e.g., stiff like a waving flag) but the best is to feel it, with hand on the string.

Much of being an entrepreneur (and living a peaceful life) depends on intuition, instinct, gut.  My most complex decisions, the ones that can’t be fully thought through, are often some of the most important ones as well. When I have to make a key decision, I think about one of the choices and ask myself, “How does it feel?”

• Continual awareness is needed, especially at the beginning. Look out for trees, sudden dips, and losing the current. I looked away for a moment while flying the kite and was surprised to see it dive toward a big cottonwood tree. It hit a branch several stories up and thankfully, bounced back into clear space.

As we’ve seen in the last few months in both the U. S. economy and politics, conditions can change rapidly. Responding well to any circumstance requires recognition first. As an entrepreneur starting two new businesses this year, I’m keenly aware of signs that point to what’s missing in the marketplace and where the hunger is with my target audience. I’m looking for the best current and trying to avoid the tree branches that I can easily get tangled up in.

• Only run when you need to. Otherwise, let the currents do the work. My younger son, who has more energy than a small puppy, didn’t understand this principle. He naturally ran to and fro (maybe just for the joy of it.) My older son got it. He quickly saw that he didn’t have to expend extra energy, when the kite was doing fine on its own. And me, as a 46-year-old that’s not in great shape, I really got it.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve had a tendency to want to do everything, quickly. There aren’t enough hours in the day to take all the things that are in my head and move them into action. (If there were, you’d see many more postings on all of my blogs.) Sometimes, it’s better to wait and let others jump in or events unfold before expending additional energy.

• Take advantage of a strong tug on the line. With the wind whipping the kite high in the air, I could position myself optimally in a fenced softball field, to create future running space. I gave the kite more line, allowing it to rise even further, where there were more opportunities to find a good current.

In business and in life, I’ve experienced the benefits of preparing for the down times when things are going well.  Save up a few dollars, invest in infrastructure, and think ahead, knowing that nothing, not a strong tug on a kite string nor a booming economy in a free marketplace, lasts forever.

• Enjoy looking upward, to the heavens. I recall a moment yesterday when I looked up at the kite and saw past it, to the backdrop of the sky and clouds.  It was a visceral feeling, one that gives your head a dizzy sensation, realizing that above me, there were no limits, only possibilities.

The nature of being earthbound is that most of our time is spent peering out or looking down, but not upward. As an entrepreneur, I have to remember to spend time looking upward, when so much is going on in all directions. As a coach, I help my clients look to the heavens.  When you see that wide open sky, with no man-made ceiling, it is humbling and inspiring at the same time.

• At the end of the day, reel in the line. After we all had a turn setting our sights towards the clouds, the wind died down. It was our cue to reel in the line and to turn our attention to other things. For my sons, this meant fending off a water balloon ambush from a friend and neighbor. For me, it meant heading home and starting up the grill for dinner.

There are many times when I’ve been in the groove of working with a team or dreaming up the next phase of my business or exchanging ideas with great thinkers. At the end of the day, one of my kids or my husband comes into the home office to announce that dinner is ready. I am thankful that they bring my feet back solidly to earth, to the smells and sight of a wonderful meal on the table or the few words about a school day that a teenager will allow to slip or an irreverent joke from my husband.

• Don’t delay. Yesterday was sunny, with temperatures in the 60’s. Ideal for being outside and flying a kite. Today, we woke up to snow on the ground. Ideal for reading the Sunday paper and taking a nap.  Who could have predicted? (Okay, maybe I didn’t read the weather forecast. This shift is typical of springtime in the Rockies.)

I’ve never regretted starting a big project. Somehow, moving into action, even with the tiniest of steps, changes everything. That’s when the learning starts and synchronicity appears. In the words of Goethe, “…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.”

We are guided in every moment, if we stop to listen and observe and feel. Kite-flying is a wonderful metaphor for my journey. My coaching clients have been equally inventive in finding their own meaningful metaphors. Find your own special metaphor to put meaning to your journey.