Christmas Reflection for Women Entrepreneurs

The soft light from the electric candle still providing light, as the moon set and the world lightened, illuminated near me on my windowsill with large snowflakes falling from the sky. Still covered by a warm steely blue-grey blanket my sister gave me, I reached for my latest gift from a friend The Book of Joy. Her handwritten note on the cover jacket described our shared friendship and joy of each other. On the front of the book are two unlikely, or perhaps likely, friends the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu smiling at each other.

I promised myself, after another year of health issues and reflection; I would take the same amount of time and patience during my medical sabbatical to greet the day to stay balanced and well. The book opened to the right page where a quote caught my heart, “Nothing beautiful in the end comes without a measure of pain, some frustration, some suffering. This is the nature of things. This is how our universe is made up,” said Archbishop Tutu.

The book discloses the three factors that seem to have the greatest influence on increasing happiness which is our ability to re-frame our situation more positively, our ability to experience gratitude, and our choice to be kind and generous. I know without a doubt a year and a half of reflection and attention on having alopecia opened my eyes to these three essential factors in order to return to who I used to be even without hair. My attitude was shaped by the caring of so many people – especially people like you reading this Wednesday Wisdom blog post.

We don’t feel joy when something sad happens to us. Sometimes the only thing we can do is to re-frame our mindset to seek the light in the darkness, appreciate the very smallest gifts we see and give away as much kindness as we can muster because others need it more than us. In giving we receive, and in receiving we can give again. This is where I am now and how grateful I am for coming through this ordeal intact and enlightened.

Next week at this time, I’ll be gathering with my loved ones and celebrating Christmas. I know I am more fortunate than most to have two healthy beautiful sons and husband, a warm house, a business filled with women I love supporting, enough food to give me nourishment, faith to surround me and enough money in the bank to keep going with this business into its 15th year and my 25th year as a woman entrepreneur. A day doesn’t go by when I am not grateful for the women who have supported and cared for me and my company this year.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom post is simply to wish you a beautiful, joyful Christmas filled with quiet moments of faith and appreciation. Enjoy what you have, no matter what it is, and don’t focus on what you don’t have. Revel in the beauty of the moments that surround you and fill your heart and the people who care about you – including me. I wish you one morning where you can quietly look out your window at the gentle falling snow, tucked under a favorite blanket, counting your many blessings.