Different is great
I was blown away when I realized that the first day of the summit would be spent outside, going on various adventures to get to know the summit attendees!
Choices included brewery and distillery tours, hiking, cheesemaking and more. It was a dynamic, invigorating, natural way to get to know people and utterly more interesting than sitting in a conference room.
I can imagine that the logistics of setting up these excursions were formidable. But I am SO grateful someone had the idea, believed in it, and made it happen. IT WAS THE BEST!
Ask for what you want
A simple but powerful reminder that taking risks doesn’t stop with starting your business. Continually taking risks (or what feels like risks!) by asking for what you want is a way of life for making progress and pushing your limits. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. No one can read your mind. The worst thing that can happen is they’ll say no, right? And then you’re right where you started.
The messy middle
Is there most everyone in business for themselves spends most all of their time.
Uncertainty is normal
On the bus ride to our adventure to hike the Redwoods, everyone on the bus introduced themselves. It was inspiring to hear the sheer breadth of ideas and businesses that women have created. Towards the back of the bus, one brave woman introduced herself by saying, “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. I’m trying to figure that out.”
After the hike, she shared that many other women had come up to her and said, “me too.” These were women who, during introductions, sounded like they totally had their shit together. It’s a reality check and comforting reminder that uncertainty is normal. So normal, in fact, that it’s a signal that you’re doing the right thing!
The present tense
I had one hiking conversation with a yoga teacher who dreams of owning an Ayurvedic farm. What was remarkable about our conversation is that her farm doesn’t exist…yet she talks about it in the present tense.
It made me think about how often I bite my tongue on my own ideas, instead of sharing them as though they were already reality. Why COULDN’T I host thought leadership writing retreats for women? Why not INTRODUCE myself as someone who does that? Though it’s an aspiration, declaring it out loud might bring it one step closer to real.
