Once upon a time there was a Magpie who lived in a crowded rockface with the other single birds. There was constant squawking and squabbling, and never enough biscuits and tea to go around.
Magpie was sick of it. It was time to build a nest of her own.
She dreamed of a bed of soft down, swaddled in luxurious silks. Waking up to a pink sunrise streaming in through the leaves above.
Most of all…
…she dreamed of a nest filled with shiny things.
Magpie loved shiny things. Nothing thrilled her more than swooping down to collect a new treasure glinting in the sun.
So she went on a quest to find the shiniest shiny things in the forest.
Rings. Spoons. Mirrors. Tin foil. Glass.
Each day she scoured fields, mountains and rivers for the glimmer of something special.
Each night she would return with new treasures and stash them in a cave so the other magpies wouldn’t steal them.
She was certain the perfect shiny object would make her nest complete. Many times she thought she’d found it.
But then another sparkle would catch her eye, and she’d knwo there must be something even better out there.
Meanwhile, Magpie had to put up with her loud, juvenile neighbors, fighting over biscuits and tea.
One day Owl watched her struggle past carrying a tire iron. “Whatever are you doing?” he asked.
Magpie wiped the sweat from her bird brow and puffed out her chest. “I’m collecting shiny objects for my new nest.”
“I thought you lived up there with those rowdy birds,” he said.
“That’s just a temporary thing,” Magpie replied. “As soon as I find the perfect shiny object, I’ll build my own place.”
Owl blinked slowly. “So you must like living with those hooligans?”
Magpie laughed. “No! They drive me crazy. That’s why I want my own nest.”
“Well then. Why not build your nest first? You can find shiny things later.”
Magpie shook her head. “A nest just isn’t a home without the perfect shiny object.”
“Suit yourself,” said Owl.
Days turned to weeks, week into months, and month into years.
Magpie collected so many shiny objects the cave overflowed. And still the perfect one had yet to appear.
By the time she realized what had happened, she was an old bird. Still living on the crowded rockface.
No nest. No sunrise through the leaves.
Only a cave full of shiny things she never needed.
I see a lot of people acting like poor Magpie.
They want to build a business that pays the bills and makes a positive difference in the world. They have the strength to do it.
But they become transfixed by shiny objects that promise to fulfill their dreams.
The perfect website. The newest course on heart-centered marketing. The best video editing software.
These things aren’t bad. They just aren’t the nest.
The nest is the simple, honest work of sharing your message and making invitations to the people who need what you offer.
And I get it.
Sharing your message and making offers can feel scary. It’s tempting to chase the shiny objects to convince yourself you’re building a business…while avoiding the fundamental actions that actually do.
So here’s a question worth asking yourself today.
Are you building the nest?
Or are you collecting shiny objects?
If you’d like a place to step out of the shiny-object forest and reconnect with what actually matters, a DragonHeart Portal conversation is a good place to start.
We’ll look at what you really want to build, and the few simple steps that actually move you toward it.
You can book a conversation here.
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️🔥
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