I remember the day like it was yesterday, although I don’t remember the pain.
I was pregnant with our first baby. The baby was due on Friday but, being the modern woman I am, I decided Monday was soon enough for me to begin my leave from work. After all, I had everything planned. Tuesday, I would get up and do my laundry, rest the remainder of the week, and wait excitedly for the baby on Friday. Since we wanted to be surprised, we decided not to learn the gender.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up, started my laundry, and by mid-morning, I knew this was the day! Around 6:00 p.m. that evening, I called my doctor, and he told me to come into the office. Upon examination, the doctor proudly announced, “We are going to have a baby tonight. Meet me at the hospital at 8:00 p.m.”
All I could think was, “I haven’t finished my laundry.”
At 8:00 p.m. I was in the hospital with a team of people around me including a nurse, the doctor, and my husband. The doctor said, “You are dilated to 10 and ready to push.”
He also said, “You can be here for an hour or all night, depending on how well you push.” I remember thinking I am not going to be pushing all night. I’ve heard about those nightmares. So I purposed in my mind that this baby would be born within the hour.
With coaching from the nurse, assurance that I was doing well from my husband, and oversight by my doctor, within the hour, Jessica made her arrival into the world. My team ROCKED!
The moment I saw her face, the thought of all that pain disappeared. At that moment, my whole world changed, and it has never been the same. On the other side of all that pain was this precious life. I would do it all over again, and a few years later, I did. More about that at another time.
In like manner, giving birth to a business, an expansion, an acquisition, or another level of business takes a lot of preparation, nurturing, planning, pain, and time.
I am reminded of the birthing process of my law firm in 1996 and again, years later, with my current business. Some of you may not have experienced the birthing process I described, but it doesn’t matter. There is something in your life you have wanted but to get to it, you had to go through some pain – whether it was weight loss, a relationship, a birth, or something else.
There is a saying “no pain, no gain”, and I found there is some truth to it. So know that, as you begin your journey or as you continue on your journey, no matter where you are in your business or your new endeavor, get ready for some pain. Pain is hard to prepare for because we try to avoid it at all costs; but knowing it is on the road to success helps me to push past each pain point on my journey.
On your journey, you may not be able to determine how long any particular pain point will last, but the more experienced help you have along the way, the better. As you push through each pain point, you will see growth. Don’t abort the process; the pain is necessary. You might start out alone but get a great team around you, think about your “why”, and then PUSH.
Click here to join the Purpose Gathering…a team to help you PUSH.
