Which Voice Do You Feed?

As a woman entrepreneur, my vision is for work environments that support and sustain life; that invite health, humor, compassion and truth. We succeed without having to sacrifice our integrity or anyone else's. We take part in creating something greater than ourselves; be part of something where the whole is more than the sum of its parts; a place where magic and miracles are a part of life. We are able to grow and expand; to stretch; and finally, to spread our wings and fly. Our experience of flight stands as a model of what's possible and a testimony to our courage to take the risks that will bring joy, vitality and delight back into the realm of day-to-day living.

Entrepreneurs as my coaching clients, tell me they want to be able to breathe deeply; to relax and to laugh; to create and bring new ideas and approaches and opportunities into the light of day. We want to be able to have work be part of our complete life process and have room for our families and friends, without the fear of being marginalized or made irrelevant.

As we know, things are changing rapidly today, with the advances of science. As we move away from a traditional perspective and venture into a quantum biological world-view, the lay of the land begins to move and sway, leaving us with a sensation not unlike an earthquake. Likewise, moving from traditional employment to entrepreneurship causes those very things that we have for so long considered to be solid, to be real, and to be the structures of our reality, to begin to fade into movement and sway.

All those romantic notions of independence, freedom and great wealth may be overtaken by long hours, hard work and the uncertainties brought by never knowing what tomorrow will bring. Sometimes, we may long for the "good ole' days" and the pay cheque, paid holidays and child-care leave that went with it! And yet, truth be told, we wouldn't go back for all the money in the world! To build something from nothing; create and invent on a daily basis; and to contribute how, when and why I see fit are far greater rewards that I could ever have imagined. The key is to keep moving through and past those undeniable, moments of self-doubt and fear. Having been successful in senior management positions, and traveling to Microsoft’s Headquarters in Seattle Washington to successfully lobby them to influence the computer industry in changing oppressive language, I was prepared for the exte
al doubters. I was less prepared for the internal dialogue of doubt.

This is the time when an entrepreneur needs the kind of support best achieved through mentorship. This is the time when we need to be reminded that simply putting one foot in front of the other is the important thing. This is when the red tape and information can be overwhelming. This is when we don’t even know what we don’t even know – so how can we ask questions? I often hear this called the information age – I disagree, as I cannot relate to all the information available. I participate in global networks and international work and constantly reach out to mentors. There are times when I need someone to point me in the right direction. Don’t give me the map when I need someone to take me by the hand and lead me. This is also where a coach can assist.

Home-based business operators often spend large chunks of time alone. Although telephone contact may be frequent, sometimes two or three days can go by without seeing another life form that has fewer than four legs. The end result can be a sense of disconnection from the world. However, this sense of disconnection is minor compared to the sense of disconnection that I sometimes feel from myself: from my hopes and aspirations; from my plans; and from the very dream that started the whole thing, so long ago. What I've learned over the years is that holding the dream is one thing - continuing to believe in my ability to breathe life into it is quite another. One of my challenges has been to continue to believe in myself when others didn't; when the evidence in my bank statements, for all intents and purposes, screamed "Give it up!” and when even my fans and supporters looked at me with great conce
on their faces. I can choose which of my internal voices to feed – success or fear!