Change is difficult for most people. It is scary. It is unpredictable. It is challenging. It is complicated. It is emotional. It is enervating.
But change is also exciting. It is innovative. It is opportunity. It is interesting. It is fun.
I have felt all those things in this complicated week of change, sometimes all at the same time.
Although our business officially started a couple weeks ago, this past week was the first full week of truly being in charge of my own shop. The responsibility has weighed heavily on me, as I navigated the first real week of being, not just a manager, but The Manager. People are depending on me, and I don't want to let them down. I am a hard worker, but is that enough? I have so much learn, and not enough hours in the day to learn it. How will I ever get everything done? And, of course, the biggest question of all, am I good enough to succeed in a world of tight competition where there seem to be endless options for people to go elsewhere?
Although our business officially started a couple weeks ago, this past week was the first full week of truly being in charge of my own shop. The responsibility has weighed heavily on me, as I navigated the first real week of being, not just a manager, but The Manager. People are depending on me, and I don't want to let them down. I am a hard worker, but is that enough? I have so much learn, and not enough hours in the day to learn it. How will I ever get everything done? And, of course, the biggest question of all, am I good enough to succeed in a world of tight competition where there seem to be endless options for people to go elsewhere?
This morning, as I reflect on the past week, on what we have accomplished and what we have left undone, I am reminded that nothing worth having has ever come easily. Every single success in life is borne of frustration and time consuming trial and error. We only see the happy ending, not the failures that led to the successful outcome. Microsoft did not start on huge campus, it started in the mind of a young man who dared to dream big. Apple was not worldwide at the beginning, it was a small idea in a creative mind, and took years, and many bumps in the road, to become the successful business it is today.
I am grateful for this opportunity to change, uncomfortable though it might be at times. As my employees and I slowly fall into a new routine, new habits, new ways of doing things, we will also find new opportunities, new challenges, new and interesting ways to use our skills, and new complications. We will have new problems to solve, experience new puzzles to piece together, enjoy new concepts and ideas to work through.
Life is not static. Change is constantly occurring. The only variable is how you choose to throw the dice, and who is with you at the table.
My husband has taken a chance on me, throwing his financial future into my uncertain basket. I have an obligation to him to do my best, work hard and economically, to secure a better future than we would have had without this risk. It is a big responsibility, and I hope that I am up to the task.
My employees have taken a chance on me, throwing their immediate future into the boat with me. I have an obligation to them to do my best, and work harder than anyone to be sure that faith was justified. It is a big responsibility, and I hope I am up to the task.
My bank has taken a chance on me, throwing their money into my hands, in the hopes that it will be worth the risk to their capital and that I will repay their confidence in me many fold. It is a big responsibility, and I hope that I am up to the task.
My town has taken a chance on me, my landlord, the public, the other business owners, hoping that I will be successful and that my success will also benefit them. As a small, rural town in the heart of America's farmland, we are all dependent on each other to survive, and my efforts are now a small cog in the wheel. It is a big responsibility, and I hope that I am up to the task.
Changing times are uncertain, and there is nothing so uncertain as starting new. But in starting new, I have gained something money cannot buy, the opportunity to make this business into my vision of how things should be. My employees are my most valuable assets, and together we are working to make this new business a success. It is comforting to have that solid base of experience working with me on this grand experiment.
Although I have no paycheck any more, and we are poorer than ever financially, I feel like the working rich today. I have opportunity, I have support, I have ideas, and I have customers who will hopefully continue to come through the door, phone and email. It is all anyone can ask for. The rest is up to me. The future is uncertain, but I have seized this day.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
