Circle of Safety

I read somewhere that the key to victory is a strong team. Not the ambition to search for riches, or the hunger to receive glory. It is not in the halls of fame that tell us how these heroes sacrificed --their blood, sweat, and tears spent for the job at hand.

Taking a risk and seeing failure on the other end is a big obstacle to survive. Most of your time is spent understanding why you let yourself do it in the first place. The people around you offer their sweet condolences --thinking that they are being kind and constructive. But no matter the intention, it becomes a session of fear and doubt, a moment to really cower in self stupidity. "How did I let this happen to myself??"

Though I feel exposed as an individual that has no thread of common sense, I do not let that tangle me. I have felt a part of myself harden because of my set-back, a part of my psyche that used to allow things to just happen to me. The wisdom that I have been blessed to carry far outweigh any benefits of "playing it safe" would have gotten me. 

I have a degree in both Film Production and Business Administration. Two college degrees should be accolades that one should be able to tote around any place and get what is need in life; no questions asked. 

That is a fool's errand --to think that by wearing your achievements as titles on your chest makes you deserving of success and wealth. If anything, being a college graduate is only the beginning of your true education; the pursuit for knowledge only begins with a strong foundation. 

The real show is after you walk the stage. 

And in my first forray into the real world, I decide to roll the dice on a business start up. I was excited and full of hope, excited for the moment when I can take charge of my life and tell my own story. This was my time for me to take what I believed was mine. 

I don't know if anyone has ever told you about starting a business, but its really....A LOT OF HARD WORK!!!

The saying "its not a sprint, its a marathon," really could not encapsulate the feeling of being at the helm of a small company. I've had jobs before, but in no way was I able to work as hard as I did when I was working on a start up. And what's worse than working for a start-up, is working for one that is dreadfully disorganized. That is a pain party that will crush you if you're not ready for it. 

I leave the details of what I experienced and how I learned from them in future posts. Otherwise, you'll be reading for another ten hours! The best lesson I learned from it is the power of having a strong team at your core, and how the bonds of trust will let anyone who is outnumbered survive. A circle of safety is real, once you find it. 

Be humble to those around you and work to cooperate with one another. Having a common goal is a powerful motivator that gets anyone through the desert valley.