Hi ,
It feels so good to be back home! My family made use of March Break by travelling back to where I grew up to visit friends and family, and it was quite the whirlwind. Late night catch-ups, visiting old favourite spots, and lots of family bonding on long car rides.
Something that stood out to me was how much I've built my life here and now around my values. Spending time with people I love dearly, but have chosen a different lifestyle than us, was interesting to observe. As I'm sure is the case for most people, a journey back to where I grew up has me reflecting on a life that could have been. The cool thing is how much these choices are a
parallel to the journey of entrepreneurship.
I choose to live in the forest, away from amenities and a large town. The primary language here is French, which is not my native tongue. My day involves a long drive to drop my daughter off at school, and detailed meal plans so we don't have to grocery shop every day. It takes us nearly an hour to get
to weekly swimming lessons. Things are simply more inconvenient and time consuming than had we chosen to live in a big, familiar town. During our visit to the city I was overwhelmed by the convenience and ease. I found myself doing way more shopping than usual because it was nearby. I packed our days full of outings because we could.
Similarly,
entrepreneurship is not very convenient. Yes, we get to make our schedules to a certain extent, but otherwise it's full of decisions and tasks that we wouldn't otherwise have with a more traditional job. Some of us choose entrepreneurship because we feel we have no choice, but most of us choose it because it aligns with our values and desires. We scrape things together. We do things the hard way because we haven't invented the easy way yet. And sometimes we envy those who have chosen the well-trodden path of a job.
But just like with my home,
I wouldn't trade my career for the conveniences of the alternative.
If you'd like, take a minute to reflect on what values you're honouring in your life and business. Give yourself a nice hug to celebrate that alignment and what that means for you as a human. It's a big deal!
Next month I'll be opening the doors to a new community. One where business owners with ADHD can lean on each other for support as we go through this crazy journey of entrepreneurship together. I'll share more details soon, but I think you're really going to like the name and what I have planned!
Until then, let me know if there's anything I can support you with.
You've got this,
Stephanie Wasylyk
Your
Business Guide