As Our Business Turns

‘As the World Turns’ was one of my grandmother’s favorite daytime shows. When my sister and I spent summers frolicking at her house and neighborhood, we came in during the hottest part of the day to join her in watching her favorite daytime drama. Getting out of the hot sun, pool and warm air was the perfect time to cozy up on the ‘davenport,’ as she called it. This memory popped up in conversation with my sister on Sunday.

I loved the graphic of our world turning as the show started. It reminded me we live on a big planet where we revolve from day to night and season to season as the world turns on its axis and moving around the sun. We don’t feel the movement of our earth but we sense the changes subtly at times when we have less or more daytime sunlight and feel cold instead of warmth during the day. Our planet turning should remind us that we in fact “turn” too although we might not feel it every day.

Our business turns from its infancy to maturity. We revolve in our roles as our company pivots at times. Our company can turn from a service only enterprise to one with products. Other times we change as people and as entrepreneurs when roles shift in our personal or corporate life. Just like the daily soap opera we could wake up each day and say, ‘As Our Business Turns’ and we would be right.

The past couple months I’ve been hearing about shifts in business from women entrepreneurs I have known for a long time. Some are preparing for retirement or moving to other parts of our country. A few are applying for full time work now that they are true emptynesters. Others continue to expand operations across the country. These conversations reminded me of the visual of the globe turning at the opening of my grandmother’s favorite show because the truth is the world turns and we turn. Nothing stays perfectly straight on its axis.

My world has changed since becoming an entrepreneur at 30. My sons have grown up watching me work so I could be with them as they grew. Now they are both launching careers in New York City together. My business has morphed from an event planning company to a company supporting, promoting and uniting women entrepreneurs – still event planning but with a more important focus. I’ve changed from not caring about politics or the future for women to understanding how important it is to be involved in ‘our world’ that is changing. Sometimes it takes a conversation with someone we love to realize we turn just like the world turns.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom should inspire you to think about how your world has changed the past 1, 5 or 10 years. Has it felt like it has been an out-of-control change or a smooth ride? Do you feel different? Have you changed your priorities? Are you okay with the shifts you and your business have or are making? Do you feel in control or out of control in continuing to run your business? If change is coming, embrace it, plan for it and realize it is okay to shift or turn as our world does. If you feel steady in your roles and future, celebrate that too. We know there are times in our lives when we are perfectly suited to be where we are.