Maybe you’ve heard about that old game called “Two Truths and a Lie” where you share three things about yourself and the others have to guess which of the three is a lie – the more difficult, the more fun! Well, at a recent CWI Virtual Lunch Forum, we applied our own spin to that phrase and called it “Two Truths and a LIFE That Impacts Your Business!” Are you intrigued? So were we! And, true to form, the discussions were free-flowing and imaginative, with some common themes emerging.
Eva Vennari shared that, in her breakout room, the discussion centered around how COVID changed EVERYTHING by causing such an abrupt stop to the business we are all subject to. During periods of lock-down priorities quickly adjusted and we would find ourselves saying, “I didn’t realize …” maybe followed by “how much I valued human touch and interaction,” or “how much time I wasted in a long commute,” or “how out of whack my work/life balance was.”
In keeping with the idea of priorities and balance, Marah Fineberg-Kuck said that she has learned the importance of being flexible and staying open to options. While we’re fretting over getting things just right, opportunities can sail right by. Tami Rae Gierhan shared one of her coaching mantras, “Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.”
The concept of “Imposter Syndrome” reared its ugly head as Karen Gedney mentioned the difficulty of moving from a systematic, salaried work environment to one of being an entrepreneur where all of her comfort markers are gone and every day is a new experience. It’s easy to allow our inner critic to tell us we’re not really doing anything important, we’re just playing at a hobby. One way to combat that is to replace the word entrepreneur with visionary – what are you seeing, what do you want to bring to life? Visionaries see things that don’t exist yet; imposters just try to copy what they see others do.
We all agreed that we want to design a life that impacts our business – not just have a business that impacts our life! When you realize you are being driven by anxiety or the pressure to be like everyone else, maybe it’s time to switch it up. Reexamine our priorities and realize there is always time to recalibrate. If nothing else, COVID taught us this!
About Your Columnist
Michelle Bergquist is the Co-Founder and CEO of Connected Women of Influence, as well as a featured columnist for Women Lead, the official blog of Connected Women of Influence. Michelle is a passionate advocate for advancing women in business and believes more women can and should lead the way in business, industry and enterprise. Connected Women of Influence (CWI) is a national, invitation only association where women owners, executives and professionals connect, collaborate and cultivate a vast network of high-level affiliations, resources and professional relationships.
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