I was presenting on a Zoom panel and left the attendees with 6 wise lessons I learned over the years. Here are the big 6 takeaways:
- Don’t ever burn bridges. My dad raised me to always treat people how I wanted to be treated. To never burn bridges. That you never know when someone from your past may come into your life again. You never know if someone someday will be your boss. So always treat others with respect. Never judge someone for you never know their past or their situation or when you may interact with them again in the future.
- Take risks when you are young. The former CEO of Tennant, Janet Dolan, told me that when I was starting my business in 2003. Those words stuck with me. Starting a business is taking a big risk. Making major changes to your business and your life is taking a risk. But anytime I have taken a big risk, I have always wondered later why I didn’t do it sooner. Live your life to the fullest every day. Life is short. We never know when we will take out last breath. So take calculated risks when you can.
- It’s not what you know, it is who you know. I’m not saying to not be smart. I am not saying to stop learning. What I am saying that your network is extremely important. LinkedIn is amazing. A platform like this was not available when I first started in business. LinkedIn is amazing for it is such a small world. It is definitely 10 degrees of separation. So, utilize your network, connect with people, reach out and give onto others. For generally what you give will come back to you tenfold.
- Give yourself grace. One of my favorite phrases is to give yourself grace. It is about giving yourself the kindness you deserve. Giving yourself grace is treating yourself like you would treat you best friend. Grace opens up the door for you to truly grow and flourish. You cannot bloom when pressure, hustling and living is just that…pressure. My mentor used to tell to give myself grace almost daily. I was always so focused on my goals and where I was going and how much more I wanted to achieve in my life. Grace will take you places hustling cannot.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I was raised to be extremely independent. So, asking for help does not come naturally for me. This I work on every day. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, there is never a dumb question. It is not possible to know everything about everything. Be smart about what you know. Be focused about what you know. Use your heart and your smarts. Part of being smart is asking for help when you need it. If you want to get your taxes done have a CPA help you. If you need an estate plan, have an Estate Planning Attorney write a plan with you. If you need a financial plan have a Wealth Advisor help you. We all have areas of expertise, seek out the experts you need and be an expert for those that need you.
- Don’t feel the need to appear stronger than you feel. I was the kid growing up that when I fell and got hurt, I said “nope, I’m all ok.” I never showed hurt or pain or fear. I learned to face hurt, pain and fear head one. But what I learned later on is that anytime I was truly vulnerable it made even greater change. It was strong and powerful. Anytime I spoke from the heart on stage and was truly authentic and told my story it truly was not that I was weak. Talking about my weaknesses and being vulnerable is showing true strength. So do not feel the need to always appear strong. Be yourself. Be authentic. Be real. For that is true strength.
These are just six pearls of wisdom that have helped me change my business and change my life. So go be you. Set your goals and following your dreams. You got this!
