A Reflection on Big Transitions
The act of reflection helps us learn and be more empathetic people.
I gave my notice at my full-time job around the same time last year.
The timing felt right.
I had been considering going out on my own for years (since my first venture closed in 2013…it was always in the books).
The process was tricky, I love the people I worked with and had unfinished business that I wanted to see through. But the calling to achieve my vision was too frequent and loud - it was too close to let it pass by again.
Once I mustered up the courage to make the leap - a whole world opened up.
Equal parts: scary, exciting, calm, chaotic, and cathartic
Over the course of this year being my own boss, I continued to remind myself that what I’m doing is not easy, and I don’t often see many people like me (female, empathetic and creative) making bold moves to demand more, to build something that creates an impact on those around, and to find and fill a gap. Don’t get me wrong - When I do it’s a hell of an inspiration and I am all kinds of fan girl.
Anyways, the fire I built in your belly came from a mix of inspiration, representation and (yes) anxiety. This cocktail gave me the profound need to push towards my vision, continuously improve clarity around my vision making operating my own firm a reality and a success.
I feel a responsibility to the women around me who are considering a leap of faith but get held back for real reasons.
Hey, I get it - it’s stupid hard. It takes an immense amount of grit, countless rejection and disappointment, swallowing your pride and sometimes that knot in your stomach.
The biggest lesson on this journey has been the love for myself. I can't tell you how many scenarios I found myself stumbling over my own feet and always finding it within myself to laugh about it, forgive myself and move forward. You get incrementally better over time - which means there are still setbacks.
What I reflect on everyday is:
“It’s not about you”
“It never was”
“It’s about those you serve”
“It’s about those who can benefit and grow from what you’ve built”
As much as you feel the need to congratulate yourself, appear vulnerable or even collapse on the ground in tears - just remember, no one is watching. They’ve got their own battles to fight. So do what you need to do to get there. Wherever “there” is.
Where I invest my energy is to focus on the quality of input. That’s input of my habits and the meditation of the day. You know the saying, garbage-in, garbage-out? Same applies here. One piece of garbage-in can cause a bleep in the matrix. Keep that clarity friends.
Which leads me to my last point - I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with a group of clients and consultants who challenge me everyday at BKRx Inc. We don’t always see eye-to-eye but that’s the point… Growth doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen when everyone is “go-with-the-flow” - sometimes friction is necessary - just never go to bed angry, keep things interesting.
One last thing I’ll drop here is - I recently read a book called Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men written by Caroline Criado-Pérez. I highly recommend this book gets on your reading list.
It’s amazing the data we do have and/or what is clearly lacking shines a light on the status of our progress - while also acts as a reminder of how much more we have to go.
From the book…
“There is a better way. And it's a pretty simple one: we must increase female representation in all spheres of life.”
My “why” is to increase the representation of creative leaders in our world to continue to push against systemic and bias structures through asking questions and demanding change.
And if you’re still shy about taking the leap of faith? Remember - the folks who matter will be watching to learn, not to criticize. Help them learn and keep pushing ahead.
