What Comes Down, Can Also Go Back Up Again
Lately, I have been obsessed with two different podcasts. One is How I Built This with Guy Raz, and the Other is Skimm’d From the Couch. Both are awesome insights into how people made their fortunes. How they built their businesses, and the lessons they learned.
I find that I enjoy listening to it now more than listening to music. I kind of caught myself the other day listening to it and laughing and kind of laughed at myself because I thought that my daughter must think that I am “so old and boring.”
This made me think of why I loved listening to them so much, and I realized that not only were the stories inspiring – but they made me feel better about my day!
All of these companies are multi-million dollar companies, and almost all of them have gone through HUGE tragedies, that would take most of us down for good.
For instance, Rob Moore, owner of Red Mill Gluten Free Bread, once woke up in the middle of the night, looked out his window, and saw that his mill was burning to the ground. Right as his Company was finally taking off – it was literally all going up in smoke. So he ran down the hill, and begged the firemen to let everything else burn, but try to save his actual Mill machinery.
He then goes on to tell the story that he then built a new Company around the Mill that was saved. Today it’s a multi million dollar company.
Or Laura, the owner of LaraBar. About two weeks before they were going to market, she found out that they would be sued if she had used the original name for her bar. As a manufacturer myself, I could just imagine all of the product already packaged, the marketing materials, the website done, the Corporation and Bank accounts all in place. Ready to go.
Nope.
So what did she do? She just named the bar after herself and kept moving forward.
These are just two examples of times when I knew my day was not going so bad.
But is a reminder that we cannot control the world around us. It is not fair, it is not forgiving. It is a journey.
Sometimes that journey includes people that we need to get away from.
There are times in our life when we know we need a change. We just sometimes do not know what that means. But suddenly one day enough is enough and we are forced to go and make our own way.
We have all worked for someone who has treated us poorly. Maybe not deliberately – but maybe who took us for granted. Maybe did not give us the credit or respect we deserved.
It hurt us, but we almost didn’t realize how much until we leave.
Then when we leave we almost have PTSD about it. You don’t realize that you just got out of a bad relationship. At first you are not relieved – you are almost manic. You are angry. You are sad. You suddenly realize how stressed out you used to be in that relationship. And you do not quite know what to do with yourself because you are no longer at war.
And I promise you this will last about a year. It will, or course, start to subside after a few months. But just like a bad marriage – it kinds of sticks with you for years to come. The disbelief of it all.
But what comes from the other side is a freedom. A freedom to venture out on your own. And even during the worst days – they are still your best days. Because you do not have that weight on you.
And so you go on.
But then other times, you are part of a domino effect that you have no control over. Maybe it is your client’s decisions that affect you. Maybe your partner. Maybe your health. You just never know.
In these times the only thing you can do is look around you and see what you can do NEXT.
Sometimes you must STOP doing what you have always done, and instead COMPLETELY RECREATE YOURSELF… or your processes… or sometimes even your MISSION!
The point is. Do not get comfortable. Because the world is always turning. Always changing. And what goes up will always come back down. But then go back up again.
But you can do this. It’s just a matter of knowing and understanding that they all not be good days. But they will all be an adventure of your own making!
Good Luck!
