The New Year Is Almost Here. How Will It Be Different?

I know we are recovering from a busy holiday season, and we have one more big weekend coming up…

I’m already thinking about this next year.

As a job seeker, I remember feeling hopelessness and helplessness.  Others could celebrate the time, and look forward with vigor and excitement, but when there is no light at the end of the tunnel it seemed that was a luxury we couldn’t afford.

In a couple of weeks I’ll celebrate my 6 year anniversary of getting laid off.

When I got laid off I had all kinds of emotions run through my body.  I was excited to be done with something that should have ended earlier.  I was scared to death of what the future would hold.  I was anxious to move on to the next phase.  I was hopeful that my next gig would be much, much better than my last gig.

It was all unknown.

I know have the benefit of looking back on the past.  I chose an untraditional route… that of business ownership and entrepreneur.

I went through my life savings, and borrowed money from family, to get this dream up.  I surrounded myself with amazing people, and moved forward, rarely looking back.

It was hard at first.  Not knowing where money was coming from, not knowing how long I could continue before I had to go to Plan B or C or D or E.  Relying on others for funding was weird, especially since it was family.  Not being able to count on a regular income creating new budgeting issues.  Learning how to get my business up and running was not easy.

There were plenty of 15+ hour days, as well as sleepless nights.

And then, one day, I was able to call my two investors and say “I think we don’t need any more investment money for a while… I’ll let you know if that changes.”  And once or twice I called on them, but for the most part the business has been self-sustaining.

We had done it.  We pulled out of the dark hole, of being hopeless and helpless, and were able to do it on our own.  We went from red to black, from no money and tons of time to descent money and not much time.

Looking back is lot easier and funner now than it was to look forward 6 years ago.

And that, my friends, is what I think about when I write to you.  I know you are in a dark, lonely, self-doubting place.  The future is dark and cloudy, with lots of question marks.

Let ME tell you, from this end of it, that you will do fine.  It will be hard, and you’ll sacrifice more, and it will be scary, but there will be a time when you look back and think “wow, we’re done with that period in our lives. I’m glad we landed okay.”

You will land.  Some of you will land in a traditional job.  Others will land in your own business.  But you will be okay.  You have to be okay.  That is our human nature – to fight, to live, to survive, and to be okay.

Keep fighting, even if it just feels like baby steps, one foot in front of the other.  And one day you’ll look back, like I can, and say “whew!  I did it!”

You will do it!