When I see the hurt and trauma in the world, through TV or social media feeds, I realize I have so much to learn about how to support the vulnerable, care for mother earth, and hold space and be an agent of change for BIPOC community members. 

As I referenced in my blog last week there were points in my career journey that were appropriate at the time but not truly my authentic purpose. I’ve been reflecting on this and asking myself what I discovered along the way.

The idea of my purpose being ‘where my deep gladness serves the world’ is a deeply inspirational idea for me. I genuinely believe that if we can find that sweet spot, where service and deep gladness intersect, we will find passion in our work that inspires us every morning, and at every obstacle.

January 2nd, 1992 - a day I was courageous. I became an entrepreneur.

So why did I start? What did I learn?

The courageous part of me was drawn to be an entrepreneur. There are many reasons that I was drawn to be an entrepreneur. I have learnt a lot of things along the way. Some through the excitement of success, but many more by the discomfort and disappointment of failure. Here are just a few.

I have these dinner napkins from Urban Barn that have questions on them. My son and his partner have been physically distancing with us since this all started, which has been a great distraction with four people and three dogs sharing the space and also a great opportunity to get to know a special young lady. We pulled out these trusted conversation starter napkins a couple of weekends ago and spent a lot of time on the question, “What has been the most defining moment of your life, so far?”

Countless times during our lives, we are given the opportunity to help others when they are not having the best of days.

During this pandemic, we are being called on more than ever to practice kindness and to hold space for others. The one thing that I always try to remember is to meet them where they are.

There are many things about the journey through this pandemic that I did not expect. One of the significant things for me is just how many quieter moments there are. What used to be gatherings of friends and family is now made up of quieter moments.

I have been thinking about fatigue this week. I have bouts of thriving enthusiasm and then a round of fatigue, as the days and weeks pass with more physical distancing and the events that keep getting ticked off the calendar that did not take place in their typical fashion, such as Easter.

OK… hands up if you have had any of the following feelings during the last month: Overwhelmed? Uncertain? Lonely? Tired? Restless? Scared? Hopeful? Grateful? Yep – me too. And everyone else in the world. The feelings come and go, and more times than not, I am feeling hopeful and grateful. But every once in a while, I slide away from hope and start to feel the pressure of the crisis we are facing in the world.

It was simply not an option for us to not be there for our community. When we are all naturally feeling anxiety, grief, loss, fear, sadness during this time of uncertainty. So we chose to respond by launching online coaching services.

As I sit at my desk writing this blog; tea in hand and Gayatri Mantra softly playing, I am reflecting on the word faith and what it means to millions who today are acknowledging Good Friday. The dogs have also been let in and out of the room a bunch of times, the TVs on and there are conversations going on outside my office door. Don’t let me fool you… I may be leaning into the practices that calm me, but the realities of physical distancing are thumping in my brain like the base thumping to the show soundtrack just outside the door.

The journey to hope starts with a solid foundation because, as with any strong structure, it must be able to stand the winds of storms. What do I manage my foundation? I lean into the practices that are part of my everyday. This practice is rooted in The Desire Map created by Danielle Laporte.

The space in-between: the space between life as we knew it to the new normal that will unfold once we are done with physical distancing. This is where we are today – in the space in-between.

We will always remember the moment we understood the severity of what we are experiencing. I am confident that in your mind’s eye, you can picture where you were, what you were doing and whom you were with. It will forever be one of those moments frozen in time.

Our thoughts are powerful and the feelings associated with these messages shape our identity – in business and in life.

There is a lot to accomplish as an entrepreneur. As visionaries, we’re not short of creative ideas and dreaming about possibilities for the future. Accompanied by the operations, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making side of the business shifting between these states can be jarring.

Yesterday was International Women’s day and I find myself having to bring my thoughts to paper. It is not what I planned for the day, but it is getting in the way of focusing on client work — so I best get it out so I can get back to the tasks at hand.

Fear of the unknown. Fear of overwhelm. Fear of not being enough. Fear of failure.  

As entrepreneurs and leaders it’s natural to experience fear.  We must trust ourselves to do the work of love so we can show up in our bodies and hearts as mindfully as possible.  It begins with our connection to self, then into the connection we have in our communities. 

For decades (centuries?) there has been an overarching methodology in place in how we accomplished and pursue success in business (I will let you define what success means to you). With just a little bit of google research you can see that in more recent times there has been a shift away from this longstanding approach.

Cheers to 2020!  The New Year for many brings a fresh start.  I personally feel a letting go and reset process at this time of year.  New perspectives, new notebooks, new connections, new adventures, new projects, new planners, new insights.