I’ve spent the last 3 years experiencing a cycle of loss, doubt, lack of confidence and fear.
Selling one business and closing a second explained my feeling of loss.
Doubt and lack of confidence crept in because I failed with my second business.
Fear paralyzed me for the first time in a long time.
I was unsure of what to do next. Questioning every decision and not making any real progress toward anything.
The last time I felt this way was during the 2008 Credit Crunch. I was made redundant on the day I qualified as a solicitor.
That was the event that made me start my own business.
I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 10 years now.
Been through many ups and downs and always faced each challenge head-on.
Losing two businesses in such a short space of time was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I took a break and spent time reading and learning.
A lot of time.
A 1 month break turned into 3 months.
3 months turned into 6.
6 turned into 12.
All the while my fear, doubt, and lack of self-confidence kept building.
Then my daughter arrived last February.
She gave me purpose.
I started a blog. A YouTube channel. A newsletter.
I took small action steps that helped to build momentum.
Newton’s Law of Motion took hold:
“An object in motion will stay in motion.”
Even though I didn’t have a clear direction, I was moving toward something.
In the summer of 2022, I found a direction and launched The Growth Lab.
That’s when things started to snowball.
My education became more specific.
My content became more focused.
I started a podcast to connect with and learn from others.
Fear, doubt, and lack of confidence were still present. But with each day they became less of a barrier to action.
After reflecting on the last 3 years, I realized that it was all a learning experience.
I found out about myself. My strengths and my weaknesses.
I learned that I wasn’t strong enough in the face of adversity.
I lacked resilience. I shied away from negative situations, from taking responsibility and holding myself accountable.
This is not the example I want to set for my daughter.
As 2022 turned into 2023, I resolved to change that.
My goal this year is to become more resilient.
And to be more courageous.
To achieve this, I’m going Goggins.
I’m challenging myself physically to build my strength mentally.
I’ve committed to 7 challenges so far this year, from running a marathon to competing at Hyrox.
All of them will push me far outside of my comfort zone.
None of them will be easy.
Good.
To build resilience and courage we need to do hard things.