When I was in college, I took a class called Outdoor Education and Recreation (yeah, I went to a total hippie school!!). One day, we went out on a high ropes course. We put on rock climbing gear, hooked up to safety lines, and had to climb a telephone pole. Once at the top, we were supposed to stand up (with nothing to hold onto), and jump off to catch a hanging trapeze.
I was flipping terrified.
To make matters worse, most of the people in the class were, shall we say, rather buff jocks. I was always the last one to the top of the mountain when we climbed, or the last one down the mountain when went skiing or biking. I was intimidated, scared, and I didn’t want everyone knowing I was feeling like a wimpy, freaked out chick.
But something happened that day that forever changed me as a person and as a leader. Our teacher, Julie Munsell, took one look at that telephone post and guess what she did?
She cried.
In that moment, the entire class rallied around her, and helped her overcome her fears to complete the task. And suddenly, the rest of the group transformed because of her willingness to be vulnerable. These tough guys softened up – they also were scared. It was suddenly OK to be afraid. And it was ALSO OK to push forward and overcome the challenge no matter what.
To this day, I know the only reason I climbed that pole was because I knew my leader was just as scared as I was – but she did it, so I decided that could too.
Some people don’t get very personal on their blogs. Some people don’t share their challenges with their readers, fearing that showing a little bit of weakness may discredit them.
I disagree. I get personal on this blog and I share my challenges with you because of Julie Munsell. Julie changed my life forever by showing up as a leader with her real emotions.
So when the ever-wise Monk at Work Adam Kayce asked me the other day, “What Would Make You a Better Person?” I decided it was a great time to share with you what I’m working on behind the scenes – the areas where I’m feeling a little challenged right now.
Work Life Balance
When I’m working on kicking off new projects (such as the Entrepreneur.com blog, and my new blog to debut next week), I allow myself to get sucked in – I mean really sucked in. I work long hours and I work weekends. My family doesn’t dig it too much – and rightfully so. Pulling back from work is always a challenge for me because I’m so damn passionate about what I do.
Getting Help
Even though I was not-so-gently nudged by Ponn and Geri a few months ago about the fact that should be outsourcing more of my work, I still haven’t done it. I’m a very experienced entrepreneur. I’m a very experienced leader. But I’m not experienced at hiring people or managing them.
It would help my business grow exponentially, I know, but I’m not so sure I want employees – or even an intern. It would dramatically change the face of my business and I’m not so sure I’m ready for that yet.
Revenue
My blog finally started making real money only a few months ago. When I started this business, I thought it would take 6 months at the MOST to get back to the income level I left behind. Frankly, I don’t think I’ll get back to that full income level for another couple of months.
We’re now playing catch-up for all the time the business has been in start-up mode. And we’re in that transition phase where every cent that comes in goes right back out. This will soon pass – and it’s been pushing me to the limits of my positive thinking capabilities. Every day I have to focus on what I want (6 figures again!) rather than what I don’t want (a pile of bills!).
So what about you? What would make you a better person? Where do you need to grow? I’ve done a lot of tagging lately, so I’ll leave this open ended – whoever wants to play along – I’d love to learn from you!! 
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:
- Why you Will Always be Vulnerable to Recession with a “Dollars for Hours” Mindset
- One of Those Awkward, Uncomfortable Moments in Which I Realized That I Had Been Holding Out on You
- To Business Plan or Not to Business Plan, That is the Question!
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