Yesterday was another example of the Universe changing course and good things happening because I went with the flow. It was another case in point that we can’t control the outcome of anything, but if we are open to what might happen, we can experience great things.
I had signed up for a luncheon lecture by Linda Kaplan Thaler on The Power of Small at the Entrepreneurial Women’s Network (EWN). I was anticipating a powerful inspirational speech by this highly successful woman business owner, and was disappointed when the morning of the lecture, the speaker cancelled due to a family emergency. Debbie Fay of Bespeak Presentations, had graciously offered to take her place. I had heard Debbie speak before, and I knew she would be dynamic, but I had signed up for Linda, not Debbie, and like a petulant child, I wanted my Linda!!
A year ago, when I attended my first EWN luncheon, I was shy and a bit intimidated. I hadn’t yet considered myself an official entrepreneurial businesswoman, even though I had been working for myself for the past 25 years. Yesterday, as a member of EWN who has forged many wonderful EWN relationships over the past year, I entered with the confidence of the businesswoman I have become. I immediately connected with the delightful women I have come to know, and eagerly bonded with new entrepreneurs.
Debbie Fay is an energetic natural speaker. Petite with streaked blonde shoulder-length hair, don’t let her small stature fool you. Debbie engages you from the moment she begins to speak. And her topic was right up my alley, I am, I can, I will: Building a Lifetime of Meaningful Success. Here’s a brief synopsis of the lecture from EWN:
Whether we’re 3 or 33 or 93, we’re all guilty of harboring talents, desires and wishes that can go our entire lifetime unfulfilled. What exactly are we waiting for? What do we think needs to happen in ourselves, in our world, in our life span in order for the time to be right? What if the time is now? What if the person is you?
Join us as Debbie Fay, entrepreneur, dog owner, and lead singer (all begun at mid-life) peels away the excuses and prods, pokes, teases and tugs, and ultimately dares us to take steps TODAY to do the thing we might otherwise let slip by.
Debbie first spoke of the many highly successful people throughout history who experienced failure after failure and kept on going to achieve great success, such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Julia Child. She walked us through some valuable exercises to identify what fears were getting in the way of our success, our dream. Once we identified the fears, she had us fill out a second form and list five things in each category. I invite you to do the same.
I am:
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I can:
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2.
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5.
I will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Everyone suffers from self-doubt, and everyone fails, again and again. The difference between those who reach their potential and those who don’t is the ability to keep on trucking, to maintain enthusiasm and momentum, no matter the number of failures.
Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.
Winston Churchill
We all have gifts, talents, and the potential for success in life. When we move past our fears and identify what our competency is, the sky is the limit. So, thank you Debbie, for helping me get out of my own way in order to get even more clear with my life purpose. Thanks, too, for helping me realize once again, that while we may not always get what we thought we wanted (Linda Kaplan Thaler), we get exactly what we needed (Debbie Fay).
