Recently I have discovered that starting a business is a lot like starting a family. Who would have ever thought the feelings that emerge would be so parallel? At least that has happened to me. Feelings such as self-doubt, fear, worry, and anxiety surface when we face the unknown, be it in parenting or in a new adventure like starting a business.
I keep doing my best to “feel the fear” and go for the gold anyway. I am continuing to learn the very things that I chat with parents about such as, ” Focus on the results you want more than the problems you’ve got.” We tend to move in the direction of our focus. But it sure is hard to take our focus off our fears and worries.
It helps to learn to recognize the good embedded in the apparently bad feelings. You see, it is often from the apparently deep, dark soil of struggle that new life emerges. To understand it, I think of compost. Compost seems apparently bad. It is after all, decaying matter. Not pleasant. Seemingly unwanted, and it certainly stinks. But as the compost breaks down it is teeming with life that activates potential and enriches the soil to bring forth new life in abundance. (Yes, I was born and raised in the country on a farm.)
It was also in those growing up years that I experienced some personally tough stuff that eventually enriched the soil of my soul and has helped me in working with many people. I learned a couple of basic principles: First, when we humans feel better, we are kinder, more creative and healthy in our approach to daily problems. Happy parents generally create happier homes. Second, it is up to us to find meaning in our circumstances. Creating good stuff out of apparently bad stuff is part of my life story and fuels my compassion for parents and kids.
Another parallel lesson I want to share is that I am relearning the importance of seeking help from those who have experience and knowledge in my area of business. It can be costly to be sure, but once again I see that it is more costly to avoid seeking help. And when I don’t seek help it is usually because I feel inadequate, am embarrassed or even ashamed about my lack of know-how. Isn’t that often true in parenting challenges too? We don’t want someone “messing with our heads, or getting in our business.” It means, of course, help is precisely what is needed and that facing our fears, whatever they are, is important to our personal and collective growth. (It might even be compost for our personal development!) It usually catches up with us when we ignore our needs. So I am on a new path in the parenting journey, a path to coach and mentor parents! It has caused me to ask for and receive wonderful help preparing me for the day when I would write this, my very first blog. Still, I tremble.
My goal is to use blogging to connect with you in an informal and open (the word these days is transparent) manner. But I will also strive to offer valuable insights, information and encouragement at a digestible level for active parents.
I look forward to connecting with as many parents as I can and I literally pray the connection will serve you well. We are on a Shared Journey of creating families that will make the world a better place. I will appreciate your thoughts, stories, and questions. I invite you to respond with respect and kindness, keeping in mind the greater good of us all.
Encouraging you ~ as you create your own good stuff,
Margie