Back in the saddle again, I think
So, I just returned from a long overdue vacation in San Diego and I’ll have to admit, I haven’t “unplugged” for that long in quite some time. I don’t want to make this post about my vacation, but I can assure you this was definitely something that should have happened years ago. We have three boys (6, 5, and 3), and we’ve basically been in social hibernation for years.
Let me get to the point here.
I’m writing this just coming off of the Thanksgiving holiday, but I can honestly tell you that it wouldn’t matter if it was a holiday or not, this trip put things into perspective. Again, it should have happened LONG ago.
As an entrepreneur and a nurse, I have to keep my finger on the pulse of my businesses and my patients. Not only do I have to focus on the here and now, but I have to think about the future of these businesses and how I’m going to evolve to remain successful. This is just a natural process of any entrepreneur. We always seem to have multiple “applications” going on at once, unable to really close any of the windows on our “computer screens” and just focus on one task. To some this may seem like a behavior that sets a business up for failure. If you’re able to manage it, I really just see this as a way for us to survive and stay relevant to our clients, our customers.
So, back to the perspective statement I was trying to make. Having stepped away from the controlled chaos in my life, I realize that I truly need to make some changes. Some of them will be the most difficult tasks, and others are just so obvious and really just “Duh moments.” I need to take more calculated risks if I’m going to achieve the next level in my business ventures.
Let me quickly interject before you read further that this is my decision. Risk is Risk, and many business owners believe that if things are just cruising along quite nicely (except for a few mild, but expected hiccups), then why rock the boat? Humans don’t typically deal well with change, especially if the changes make a big impact on their lives. It’s only natural. I’m an entrepreneur, a pioneer in some respects, and I love to go against the grain. Keep in mind that this is my decision and I’m going to make a big splash and rock this boat.
Maybe I should stick with the horse analogy and say that I’m going to grip the saddle horn tight, dig into the stirrups and hold on for dear life.
First, I’m going to take my own advice and with the most professional approach, let one of my clients go. This is going to be big as this has been a long standing professional relationship between our companies. I won’t really elaborate on the details, but this has been a source of some pretty significant stress for quite sometime.
This first step will allow some of the other opportunities I’ve been considering to potentially develop into some fairly significant growth on all levels. Actually, these opportunities are breathing some new life into my entrepreneurial spirit just as this Innovative Nurse project has, and I’m really looking forward to this evolution from a professional perspective. I didn’t realize how stifled I actually felt, not to mention that I (the ultimate decision maker) allowed this to go on for so long.
I’m fortunate to have had this opportunity to pull back, decompress, gain a better perspective, and realize that one of the greatest benefits of being an entrepreneur is that I get to do what I want, and what I love.
Yep, I’m back in the saddle. Is “Yeehaw!” appropriate?