What’s your why?
Like many of you know, the last few months of running a new business have been a real emotional rollercoaster. I’ve felt the highs and lows of fear, excitement, imposter syndrome, joy, and deep gratitude. With every conversation, I’m latching onto why this business plan won’t work, instead of why it will.
But what has been keeping me buckled in is the supportive community I’m surrounded by: a husband who talks me off a cliff when I wake him at 3AM, daughters who have been cheering me on (and sometimes gently pushing me) along the way, and a community of women who inspire and energize me, making the day-to-day journey so fun.
So, every time I hit a valley, I’m reminded that I need this Collective for me, and therefore I must move forward. And sometimes that is enough. But when it isn’t, I reflect on what a good friend once told me when she was trying to change a habit of hers. She would listen to a podcast on the topic on repeat, so when it got hard, she remembered her “why”.
My Why…. which turned into a Why Not?
At the beginning of the year, I was working for a wonderful organization, with a great team and we were making tremendous strides towards achieving our mission. So I was confused and frustrated when I wasn’t feeling fulfilled anymore. Then at my monthly Women’s Group, I got my annual star word: Dream. That hit deep and from then on I spent a lot of time dreaming and journaling about what I wanted for my career, for my life, and how I wanted to spend my time daily. Here is what I journaled (edited for readability):
I want to be in a career space that I am so passionate about I can just read, learn and talk about it obsessively. So what am I already obsessing over? Well, that’s simple: Group dynamics. I love to observe how groups of people work together, how to build welcoming community spaces for diverse groups of people, with different experiences and communication styles. Societal impacts on women - particularly around career vs home. Female empowerment. I hate when women minimize themselves — we are so powerful and we accomplish and juggle so much (thank you, societal expectations). Business strategy. I love analyzing how small businesses with limited resources could leverage their strengths to make an outsized impact. I could read, study and talk about these subjects all day long for free - but a girl’s got to eat. (especially an Italian girl). **
How do I want to spend my days… I want time and space to learn new things. I have achieved my learning curve at my current role, and I’m craving creativity and learning. I want to be challenged with something new. I want to spend my days building a community of women business leaders - where we have safe, judgement-free spaces to learn and build our business strategy skills, celebrate wins and share the challenges we face as women leaders… I picture meetings in coffee shops, facilitating groups talking about business strategy, hosting focus groups to help entrepreneurs truly know their customer, creating social events and big dinners where women talk about the future trends in the market. I picture building a legacy of deep connections; a community of women working together to achieve their career goals and attain their visions.
And so, The Venture Together Collective was born. And every time I hit a low, my friend's voice pops into my head: "remember your why." So I do. I come back to the women, the conversations, the community we're building. And when the fear asks, "What if it doesn't work out?", I ask myself instead: What if it does?
This is my why, I can’t wait to hear yours!
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Crowdsourced Resources:
I journaled using “The Artist’s Way’s” Morning Pages process. Perfect for those that get hung up on “what should I write about?!”
“Start with Why Book”, Simon Sinek
“Find your Why Workbook”, Simon Sinek
