It's Time to Bloom!

As I write this column I’m flying back home from Miami, Florida. I was there to be honored as one of 2010’s Enterprising Women of the Year at Enterprising Women magazine’s eighth annual gala awards celebration that paid tribute to North America’s top women entrepreneurs. I was excited, proud, and humbled to be recognized for my achievements, along with several other powerful women.

While I was enjoying the event along with the other honorees, I realized we were in that room celebrating not only our achievements, but that when others gave up, we kept at it. In the face of disappointments and seemingly insurmountable challenges, we remained optimistic and held our heads high. Even during the worst long stretches when our businesses hit a plateau or even dipped into negative growth—bleak, barren “winters”—we held our heads high and continued to move steadily forward.

Something I learned over the past several years is when winters come, to remember it’s only a cycle, because spring will soon arrive. I first learned of this pattern from personal development leader Jim Rohn, who passed on December 5 of last year. It’s during these winters, when nothing seems to be moving or growing, that often in reality things are slowly but steadily churning below the surface. Like the seed planted before winter sets in, good things are slowly growing and transforming, even though we don’t see them.

And when you feel you can’t bear the winter any longer, don’t give up. Because a great shift is about to happen. Ideas, plans, and dreams, whether for your business or your life, are stirring and transforming on a level you may not be able to see. And when everything shifts, be prepared—the ice breaks loose, the earth moves, and “spring” arrives in force with a huge burst of new growth.
This is the cycle of life, and the cycle of success. It’s the human experience, and those of us who approach our work and lives with passion, positivity, and faith will enjoy the best fruits of spring.

Love and Success,