“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength
— carrying two days at once.
It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time.
Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow,
it empties today of its strength.”

— Corrie ten Boom

This past week I found myself picking up a piece of my work life that had been placed in a sidebar. This is not the first time this key activity has been sidelined, but the impact on my business could be significant.

In picking up this responsibility — which I have mastered and love to do — I found my skills rusty and the need for more time, more prep, and more practice necessary if I were to be at my best. I know what great looks like, feels like, and acts like so I knew what was needed. I felt like an athlete who was getting back in the race after a long break from practice and performance.

Along with the extra effort it was taking to be prepared, I also had some performance anxiety. It was a task that was going to require my focus, my effort, and a good mindset of positive self-talk.

• Can you relate?

• Have you found yourself needing to add a responsibility to your docket that was suddenly not needed during the first years of the Pandemic? Or does your work life have completely new responsibilities? Or have you settled into a predictable routine?

Being long in tooth and having seen the ups and downs and constant changes of life and work life, I have the perspective that I can learn anything and relearn anything. I smile when I am surprised by experiencing something I have traversed successfully, but find to be a new passage ripe with new lessons.

I know, I took a long time in telling you what challenge I faced. Here it is:

I had accepted the opportunity to be a speaker at the recent COSE Big Summit hosted in Cleveland.

I was very happy to participate in this event. COSE was integral to my first years as an entrepreneur. I believe that our region has a robust small business community because of COSE. I am proud to have survived the challenges posed by self-employment. It was both a roller coaster and a magic carpet ride. The years have been filled with expansive opportunities, challenges, and sacrifices. I find myself still committed to the lifestyle of entrepreneurship; I still love what I do and find myself still standing.

As I prepared for my session, I researched statistics of small businesses in the United States. The National Chamber of Commerce reported that “18% of small businesses fail within their first year, while 50% fail after five years, and approximately 65% by their tenth year.” When I made my career move leap in 1987, the hill to climb was steep — and still is steep and treacherous.

Yet, individuals remain inspired to try. An estimated 17 million new small businesses were formed in 2022. Formed during a Pandemic! Some of which were formed because of the Pandemic!

The health of our economy and our region is created by the contribution of smaller enterprises. 32.5 million small businesses exist in the US making up 99.9% of all US businesses and employers.

The data for the birth, death, growth, and contribution of the small business sector was positively overwhelming and another reason for me to jump back into my relationship with COSE.

The Pandemic has caused me to realize the value of my relationships and the need for community. I was not created for full-time remote work. I have adapted but need interaction face-to-face to learn, grow, share, contribute, discover, resolve, innovate, and maintain my energy for my work.

• How about you? What is the mix of environments that will help you bring the best of your whole self to your work, work life, working relationships, and work contributions consistently?

Even more reason to connect with my tribe of entrepreneurs.

Being with some of the individuals who started their business while I was starting mine, and meeting the next generations of small businesses, was motivation enough for me to dust off my aged speaking skills and share some content that might help another entrepreneur.

My efforts and feelings of stress were rewarded. I reconnected with old friends whose imprint on me is still fresh. I met some new businesses not in my network. And I felt the electric energy of being with people who have vision, the commitment to risk, and to work hard — and the desire to learn.

I walked away feeling like I reopened my speaking career. I still have the energy and desire to share great stories that might spark something to help another person. During the Pandemic, my energy for learning and sharing shifted to writing. In my career past, speaking was an important part of my routine and business model.

Writing and speaking have always been a one-two punch for my consulting small business. In 2001 when 9/11 occurred, the world of conferences and convening changed forever. The Pandemic further changed how people want to learn together. My speaking muscles have not been working out. Yet this COSE event taught me that I am able to renew my skills.

The biggest difference is that I was a much younger, less experienced, sometimes naïve person who was traveling the world to speak. I thought my road warrior days were behind me but….

I bring a seasoned (sometimes tired), still optimistic, and energetic learner to the platform, I am no longer the youngest woman in the room caring about soft skills and organizational health. The conversations have evolved and my experience can be offered up generously — not as a ‘know it all’ but as someone who has ‘walked the path.’ What is ahead of us, no one knows with certainty. I will approach the opportunities to speak with the humility to know that I have as much to learn from any group as I have to offer.

What might have been stressful and required an investment of time, was an awakening to a renewed way of working but not in the same way.

Always more to learn. Please share what and how your work life is evolving.

• How has your worklife changed since the Pandemic? 

• What are you doing more of? Less of? And What kinds of activities have dropped from your work responsibilities entirely?

• What are the new activities that have become routine since we went remote and distanced in 2020?

Leslie

P.S. I have several more speaking engagements on my calendar. I expect that each will require me to work hard to find and share my skillfulness. I am far from retiring and cannot cruise into the final chapter of my work life. I will need to start my workout anew if I truly wish to be back in the saddle, again.

Success depends upon previous preparation,
and without such preparation,
there is sure to be failure.

— Confucius