My first Labor Day weekend as an entrepreneur! I'm happy to say I did take some important chill time, but that being said as a new business owner, Big Girl Cocktails is always on the brain. I think a lot about how to move forward, how to keep motivated, how I'm going to get it all done.
I was pondering all of this yesterday while on my last big training run for my half marathon I'm running next week. I had lots of time to think - 9.5 miles worth. Between miles 7 and 8, I started to get a bit sore and a little tired... and I heard something in my head I hadn't heard in a while.. "if you're tired and you want to stop, don't... don't stop, just keep running." It was kinda weird hearing Rob's voice randomly in my head. Rob is my best friend Helen's husband. He gave me that advice over 8 years ago, before my very first half marathon. It was funny at the time since he's not a runner and I was expecting him to tell me it was ok to stop and say screw it... Instead it was his voice I heard kick in as I ran my first race.. "don't stop, keep running", "don't stop, keep running" - which ultimately got me through.
This made me think of how Big Girls is like running the marathon and that the "don't stop, keep running" mantra definitely fits with starting a new business. If I ever get frustrated, or feel beaten down, I just need to keep going as I do when I'm running. It ended up being some of the best advice anyone gave me. Thanks Rob.
That got me thinking of other life changing advice I've gotten over the years.
While working on one of my final papers in my first year of business school, I was way burnt out from the year and didn't seem to have any brain cells left to write. I was completely frustrated with a blank page and nothing to say. One of my dear friends from school said.. "Sam, don't think... just write!" "You can go back and make it perfect later... for now, just write." That advice got me through writing my first book. Several times I'd get disheartened trying to get everything out perfectly that I wanted to say with the book... that's when I would hear my friend putting me in line... "Sam don't think.. just write!" ... so I did. Thanks Dana.
Finally, one of the best ones that I constantly rehear, was advice from someone I don't even know. I tagged along with one of my classmates for her entrepreneur interview we were assigned for school. Randy was the head of a company in the aircraft industry - completely different than anything I did in my world. Towards the end of the interview, he turned to me and asked about my background and what I did. I had just started contemplating Big Girl Cocktails at the time. I told him I wanted to be and entrepreneur, and that I had some ideas in mind, but was still working some things out. Randy brilliantly responded to me,"What is there to work out?" "You just gotta get out of you're own way and do it!" I hear that advice about once a day. Thanks Randy!
So this Labor Day... here is my big girl advice to share with those pursuing a goal or a dream - you can apply them to anything you're working towards.
1. If you want to stop, don't just keep running!
2. Don't think... just write!
3. If you want something... get out of you're own way and do it!
- Cheers to all my advice givers!
You don't know it, but you changed my life with your words of encouragement!
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