I remember it perfectly. It was a sunny day, warm for October. I had a spring in my step and a latte in my hand as I opened the door to my office that morning.
But as soon as I walked through that door, I knew something wasn’t right.
I could feel a disturbance in the energy…and I knew that something Big was about to happen.
It was a Wednesday morning, and I have time blocked for creative pursuits each Wednesday morning which means that there were no clients on my schedule, which, as it turned out, was perfect. For when I sat down in my office chair, I just knew that no “office work” would be done. This was a morning for deeper work than that.
The energy was thick and I simply allowed myself to lean into it, to feel what was happening, to allow the emotions and thoughts to flow and sure enough, images came to my mind and began to crystalize as they often do.
And here’s what became suddenly clear: my business was going to divorce me.
Why?
Because I wasn’t ALL IN.
Sure, I worked on my business.
But the truth is, I had “others” on the side…”mistresses,” if you will, that took my time and attention away from my primary business. I was, at that time, trying to keep three individual businesses thriving all at once, on my own…and well, we all know that tends to turn out: not well for any one.
And yeah, I dedicated time to my work. I went to the office regularly, kept solid hours.
But I was often distracted. Not focused on my goals. And not paying total attention to everything that was happening when it was happening. I was like the spouse at the dinner table staring at her phone while her family and partner tried to get her attention. Not every day…but often enough that it hurt.
And I was avoiding big issues…dodging the details that I just didn’t want to see…and getting annoyed at having to deal with those things that I considered to be a nuisance. My business was trying to get my attention, to get me to see that things were not all champagne and roses, but I didn’t want to hear it…and brushed it away.
Until that day when I realized that if I didn’t do something different, I was going to end up divorced from my business altogether, and out on my ear, looking for work at Walmart.
My business was simply not going to thrive without me.
I needed to commit.
To put all of me in to this business.
To stay focused on goals and desired outcomes.
To ensure that every action that I took moved me towards a strong, healthy business.
To be All In.
(Now, to be clear, I don’t believe in being “all in” with anything or anyone at the cost of losing your own identity or selling your soul…that’s not at all what I mean. There is a line between being “all in” and being “lost” in something…and losing one’s self is not something I would ever advocate.)
And so that day I made a commitment. I took a vow. And I promised myself (and my business) that from that day forward, I would be All In. No matter what. I would dedicate all of my work hours to my desired outcomes. I would stay free of distractions. I would be present. Accounted for. And accountable. I would not avoid the tricky bits of business. I would not rush towards the good while shoving the ugly under the carpet. I would take all of it and pay attention and make changes when necessary. I would grow and evolve, and with that, so, too, would my business.
I would be All In. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. ‘Till death do us part.
I made the commitment. And I have never looked back since.
With love and dedication,
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Rebecca Liston helps her clients predict, pivot, and compete in an increasingly complex global marketplace. Her clients quickly uncover the root of their challenges and know the actions to take to overcome them. A six-time nominee for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award, Rebecca combines business strategy with intuition, giving her clients the edge on forward-thinking, elegant answers to their most complicated problems. Her clients are entrepreneurs with CEO-mindsets and executives with entrepreneurial instincts. She is based in London, Ontario. What if you could get the answer to your biggest business challenge, in one sitting? Visit rebeccaliston.com to find out more.
