Wednesday Wisdom: Conquer the Hill

Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, Female Athletes

As the hill rose, and rose, up steeper and steeper terrain, thoughts of always wanting to go this high on this road for the past decade couldn’t help but rise too. Often I’d stare at its height, contemplate my energy level, and somehow reason the attempt out. “No way, Tracy, you can’t do that one!” I’d hear myself say. The thought would push to the back of my mind like it typically did, and perhaps my shoulders slumped at bit, in the repetitive decision making process.

With two cups of full strength coffee in my system, five hours past the time I typically exercise, and still on a high from meeting with fifteen fantastic women at an event, I didn’t let that creeping voice in my head speak. “Hush!” Slamming the door on the negative thought and charging straight towards my bike, I hopped on and took off without a thought. Today was the day!

Although my attempt at biking one of the hilliest terrains in my neighborhood, of rolling farmland with tractors coming down the road taking up a lane and a half, was actually so much easier than I imagined. “How can this be,” I asked myself taking in the views? Well the answer arrived as I finished the much anticipated bike ride, “You’ve been riding hills for 2 years, year round, only on another path. You were more than ready to take this hill on.”

And so it is for women entrepreneurs who doubt their ability to climb to a higher level of business success. They stare at ‘the hill’ before them which in business terms is starting a new branch of their career or division in their business, taking on a sizable loan to add staff, or add a new innovative way to help their clients and let it push to the back of their minds ready to launch some other day. There isn’t a problem waiting to take the ride or risk, but I bet you anything you are more ready than you think you are. If you are experienced in business, you probably already know what you need to know, you just don’t trust yourself enough.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom speaks to the women who, like me, stare at a tempting hill to conquer and put it off until one day they decide “today’s the day” and do it. Do you doubt your knowledge or skills to accomplish something new in your career? Have you taken an inventory of your recent successes in business to prove to yourself you are capable? Do you have energy, and you know the energy I’m talking about, that is dying to burst out and take the risk? If you do, girlfriend, do it.

Just like at the end of my 7-mile extremely hilly, yet easier-than-I-thought bike ride, you might surprise yourself on how unproblematic your next move might actually be. You have a couple choices, stare at the hill and talk yourself out of it, or jump on that bike and pedal your heart out discovering the thrill and ease at which you do it.