It’s been at least six months since I last posted to my blog
and for good reason. September of 2012 was one of the busiest months for my
business, Jaclyn Mullen Media! After nearly two years of hard work, extreme focus and
a passion for digital media, my efforts were starting to pay off. I found my dream office in a
modern building overlooking the Hollywood Hills off Sunset Blvd. I had an
employee and an intern assisting me with my client work load and the clients--they were phenomenal. The creative energy was
flowing and I couldn’t have been happier. And that’s when it all came crashing
down like a stack of Jenga blocks.
You see, in early October 2012, I got some pretty crushing
news regarding a personal matter. Don’t worry, it didn’t have to do with me or
my business. Everything there was on the "up and up." For now, I choose to
keep the news I received private. But let’s just say me, my ego and my emotions
learned very quickly that entrepreneurs aren’t super heroes. Although we
entrepreneurs may not like to admit it or think it, we are just like everybody
else when it comes to playing the hand of cards that life will deal us even if that hand backs us into a corner.
For the first time since I launched my business nearly three
years ago, everything and I mean everything shifted.
- I didn’t care about my sales goals or about blogging.
- I had to begin the process of canceling the office lease.
- I put my entrepreneur skills to use, dealing with the situation at hand.
- And I immediately got Life Lesson 101 in entrepreneurship which was even though your business can be your passion, even though you can have such a wild love affair with it, you better know when to walk away and take a break and shift your passion and focus to things that will be there for you whether you make it in business or not—such as your family and friends.
Between November 2012 and January 2013, there were so many moments where I
didn’t know how I’d get my business back on the "dream" track. Other matters took precedent and rightfully so.
The irony in my situation was that I had always hoped
entrepreneurship would yield me luxury, wealth and affluence.
What I learned was I was blessed with luxury, wealth and affluence in my
ability to work remotely, to travel as I needed, to be calm, level headed and
logical.
Thankfully, 2013 has started off on a much better note. The
Jaclyn Mullen Media client roster is full (Popzazz.com, Sneaky Pete’s Beverage,
Mulberry Street Pizzeria and more), I am going through my second go round of
Marie Forleo’s B-school and I’ve learned so much looking back on the last 5
years of my life that I can’t help but want to flash forward to the future.
So that’s it. My quick, brief update just to fill you in and
say hello, bon jour, hola. To say, sometimes life is going to throw us a
situation that we may perceive to be a curveball. And it’s going to be really
difficult to stretch, to run, to contort your body and spirit however you can
to catch the darn thing. Sometimes, unbeknownst to us, we
just need to rapidly release a lot of the things surrounding us—ideals,
people, even opportunities.
And it’s totally ok to take your “time out.”
To sit back and
say, “How did this just happen and why?”
But don’t sit on the sideline for too
long. Look for the lesson in your circumstances, treasure the lesson and then, come back with
a vengeance.
My lesson had to do with priorities, with gratitude, with family.
Only you will know the meaning and value of yours. Uncover your hands from your
eyes, stop looking back and wondering why things occurred the way they did in
the past and take whatever action you can today to make your future different. Let Superman keep his kryptonite. The human spirit and it’s resiliency is the
best super power one could ever have and don’t you forget it!
Curious to know what blog post I’ve got in store for you
next? Which would you prefer: The Concept of Release and Surrender As It
Pertains to Business OR Facing The Fear of The Solopreneur Ship? Your call.
Post your preference in the comments below.
AND if you haven’t done so already, feel free to join me
and 343 amazing people in the Jaclyn Mullen Facebook community. We talk marketing,
making it yourself (be it your brand, business, art, you choose) and
mentorship. Facebook.com/jaclynmullenmedia
Or if you’re bored and looking for something fun to do,
join me in my adventures as a solopreneur bootstrapping my business, saving the
world and still making time for the spa. Your boarding pass awaits at
Instgram.com/JaclynMullen
