Commitment. It’s THE word right now.

New Year’s resolutions are all the rage…at least for a few more days. Then, even the most well-intentioned human, will start to struggle with the list of promises they made to eat better, work out more, be nicer to their siblings or spouse, and take better care of themselves.

Struggling doesn’t mean giving up…

I’ve done both. There was a time when I would let busyness or life get in the way. I am really really good at justification and reasoning…almost too good for my own good, you know? So I would quit. What I had “wanted” for myself just wasn’t as important as what life was serving up at that moment. Sometimes that was totally legit. Others…it was me not being as committed as I thought I was.

When I launched LillaBlu back in 2015, I started to do a lot (I mean A LOT) of inner work. Work on me – because honestly, starting your own business takes a lot. And it takes away a lot. I wanted to be the best me I had ever been… and I was determined to build a kick a$$ business. I was all systems go, and working on anything and everything that might throw an obstacle my way.

And although business grew pretty quickly, I realized around month 6 that I was hitting a plateau…and I couldnt figure it out. And as I started to look at my habits and what I loved and didnt love about business, I realized 2 things:

  1. I wasn’t as committed as I thought…and that was a total blow to my ego.
  2. I needed accountability. Period.

The first was a wake up call. I was committed, but was I all in committed? At the time, I was committed to making it work. Replacing my income. Paying my bills. And spending more time with my girls. But that’s not what I wanted…

I wanted more.

More than just paying the bills. I wanted a better life for my girls. A business that enabled me to give back consistently and make an impact. I wanted to change the way people looked at marketing and infuse kindness and authenticity into everything I did.

So I was committed, but I could do better. I could do a little more. And I did. But how?

For me, I discovered that I needed accountability. Why?!?! I was a strong, independent woman. A self starter who HATED to be told what to do. Someone who took initiative without being prodded…why did I need someone to be accountable to?

Well…I had worked for others for so long. Someone else put the big goals in place. Even when I managed teams…there was always one level above me that had goals I was responsible for meeting. That made it easy for me, because I never wanted to stop at someone else’s goals. I wanted to blow them out of the water. That was my goal. Always do better.

And then I became my own boss…

I can’t even tell you (mostly because I’m sort of embarrassed about it) how much time I feel like I wasted sitting there at my nice big desk in my nice home office thinking…”What on EARTH am I supposed to be doing right now???” And let’s not forget, folks… I was fresh out of the role of Marketing Director. I knew what I should be doing. I used to tell others what they needed to be doing… I STILL do this… so what was missing?

I didn’t know until I knew

Until I had my first mentor, and then “accountability buddies”, I had no idea what what missing from the equation. Why was I magically stuck at this level??? And then it clicked… I am all those things I was taught to be: self-starter, hard worker, strong, independent, etc. AND…I thrive on deadlines. And I hate to let people down… so while I am out to do amazing work with and for my clients, I am now less a people pleaser and more an entrepreneurial enabler 🙂

Now I know how to be more committed to what matters most to me. Committed to growing my business, serving my clients, being the bestest mom ever, getting my health back – all the things that help me do better work in the world. I need support and accountability, and I need to provide that support and accountability for others. It’s a beautiful thing. Not weak or incapable…but strong and brilliant.

So, this new year, I’m committed to those things – my daughters, my clients, my business, and my health – and abundance in all of them. And I’m grateful that I know what I need now to make it all happen.

Do you know what you need to succeed?

If this sounds familiar…I’d love to support you on your entrepreneurial journey.

PS: I’m really hoping I don’t give up on giving my new running sneakers the miles they deserve. But it’s not that easy right now…it’s like 7 degrees outside. I’m not kidding. I don’t even want to walk the dog…it’s frigid. SO…I’d love some encouragement there. I mean, it’s REALLY COLD!!!

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  1. […] for so many, and that is only making a stressful time more challenging. My answer to this is love, kindness, grace, and commitment. For yourself and for others.Hustle looks different in times like these…and it’s not so […]