Last week was a time of reflection for me. When I first did a mental review of 2015, all I could see was loss. My beloved dog Jessie passed away, I dissolved a friendship that had lasted more than 10 years, and I walked away from an organization I’ve been a member of for more than eight years.
Saying good-bye to people, beloved pets or organizations that have played a substantial role in my life at some point has never been easy for me, but as I came to realize, in some cases parting ways can be most advantageous.
The friendship that ended led to introduction to a woman that has been of great help to me in my pet care business. I’d been looking for help in the business for quite some time, but couldn’t figure out how to make it happen. Fate intervened, and things have been going much better as a result!
Losing my dog Jessie is still a source of great pain for me, and probably always will be. She taught me so many things, the last lesson she taught me was to keep my priorities in order and spend time with those that really matter. It’s important to make time for those we love because we never know when that time may be gone.
I’ve been reading a book written by Shonda Rhimes, called Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
. This book has done much to help me step out of my comfort zone and be willing to say yes to things I would’ve rejected in the past or leave situations that are no longer working.
Such was the case with the organization I walked away from, I’d been a member of this group for many years and even considering leaving it was not something that came easily to me. I agonized over the decision for close to two years. I’d learned so much from many programs I attended through the years, and made many friendships I’d probably never developed had I not been a member of the group.
As time went on, the organization changed and so did I, going to programs wasn’t enjoyable anymore. Finally, I decided it was foolish to spend time and money to belong to an organization that wasn’t benefitting me, so I put membership on hold. The money I spent on membership dues will be used in other ways to grow my business. Friendships developed during my time there haven’t faded, and probably won’t in the days to come.
After reading Shonda’s book, I’ve decided to expand the Fully Feline brand in 2016. I’ve been pondering doing this for a while, and some of the expansion plans are a little scary, I will admit, but as Shonda says in her book, ‘be a doer, not a dreamer.” At some point, it’s time to start doing or the dream will never stand a chance of being realized.
You’ll be seeing more communication in the near future about our brand “expansion.”
In closing, I’d like to thank 2015 for showing me that sometimes ‘good-bye’ is the only thing to say.
Written by Karen
