One of my guilty pleasures is watching Bar Rescue on Sunday. Yesterday this quote was featured in an episode and it really stood out to me: “The fire within you burns brighter than the fire around you.”
The last few years have been especially difficult for me. My marriage ended and I found myself starting over as a single mom. I questioned everything. Who I was, how I got here, and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Serious mid-life crisis stuff right here.
In the middle of a personal crisis, the pandemic started and ramped things up all over. I have felt like I’m standing in the middle of a fire more than once, watching the world burn around me, trying to figure out how I’m going to get through today, not able to even think about tomorrow. Being stuck in survival mode is just that – stuck. You can’t move forward, you just exist from moment to moment.
In the end, through all of my questioning and searching, I really came back to who I am. I want to make the world a better place. That starts with my kids and extends to my business.
If you’re like me, you want to do good in the world too, and that includes what you do in all areas of your life. I’m so proud to be a small business owner who works everyday to make the world a little bit better than it was yesterday.
Here’s what I did to get out of survival mode and into my purpose:
- Looked at why I started my business to begin with. I was so lost for a while I saw my business as a burden, but now I see it as an opportunity.
- Know the kind of mom I want to be for my kids. They need to see a mom who fights the good fight and works hard for what she believes in.
- Reviewed my resume – really! My resume speaks to my desire to work for organizations that have a real purpose. It also reminded me of what I’m good at, where my strengths are, and what I’ve achieved already.
- Imagine how I wish the world was, and then figure out how I can contribute to make that happen. I may be “just” a marketer, but every message we put into the world collectively adds up, and I want those messages to be positive.
I’d love to hear from you. Keep those internal fires burning!