Are You Ready to Play in a Bigger Space

Sometimes the lemons in our lives are great tragedies or the unbearable pain of loss. They seem insurmountable but we know we need to find a way to recover. Sometimes lemons are quiet and deceptive. They sneak up on us, disguised as everyday thoughts. They are easy to dismiss or ignore. We make small adjustments to compensate for them or tell ourselves that we don’t really need to deal with them, everything is ok. And then one day, we realize that they are also a very real tragedy. They keep us from finding the joy and success that we deserve. They blind us to the opportunities that exist. They prevent us from living our purpose and finding the success and happiness we deserve. Those are the lemons I discovered, and I want to share with you how they snuck in, how I made them into lemonade and how you might use them in your special lemonade recipe.

To be honest, I have a very blessed life.

I had a wonderful childhood with the balance of being spoiled with love and learning strong values wrapped in a sense of responsibility. To be completely truthful, sometimes the spoiled side was a little heavier. In my first year of college, I met the love of my life. When he talked with my Dad about getting his blessing for marriage, my Dad confided that he always made sure I knew I was loved and that I got almost everything I wanted. He told Mike he would need to do the same! He successfully took on the challenge and after 50 years together, he still honors that pledge. I am grateful for the love and encouragement in my life. I use the Power of Gratitude to remind me of my blessings and to see the possibilities in my life. Do you feel grateful for everyday joys and for the lessons in life? A key ingredient in making lemonade is Gratitude.

By Carolyn Andrews It’s important to remember that our growth doesn’t happen through the times of success, it happens when we are challenged. Those are times when we grow stronger and find inner strength to create inspiring outcomes. Are there times when you had to draw on your Inner Strength to succeed? What did you learn from that experience and how did you grow?

With extra effort and great support, I had the courage to continue to move forward.

My career in the corporate world was for a Fortune 100 company with a positive culture and values that I shared. As one of the few women in technologies, there were some difficult times! I progressed to a senior leadership role, leading the successful implementation of multimillion-dollar projects around the world. An amazing team, successful ventures and worldwide travel was more than I ever expected, and I was grateful for the opportunities and the successes. After more than 30 years in the corporate world, I knew it was time for me to do something on my own. I didn’t know what that meant and yet I knew it was the direction I should follow. My parents were entrepreneurs, so it seemed natural to think about a small business venture. I thought about my skills, knowledge and passion to help others. I saw so many small business owners fail and lose everything. I was sure there were ways to use my experience to help them. Even with business experience in a corporate setting, I was new to the world of entrepreneurs and I knew I needed to add knowledge, tools and processes to the experience I already had. I found a great coaching company, purchased a franchise, became a certified business and executive coach, and started my firm. A coaching FIRM? Of course, after all, I had led hundreds of team members in multiple countries. This would be easy.

We got off to a great start! I had a team of 5 amazing people, the perfect coaching office and great clients.

While we were successful in helping them, we didn’t have enough clients to support the large and costly infrastructure and that allowed the first lemon, FEAR, to creep in. Then more lemons rolled in…INSECURITY, LACK OF CONFIDENCE, and even a LOSS OF TRUST in me and others. Soon I was telling myself “This isn’t why you started this! You wanted to be a coach, not run a business!” It was hard to know if I was on the wrong path or if I was just coming up with excuses. It was even more difficult to admit that I might not be doing things right. I wasn’t ready for the next lemons that dropped from the tree…SHAME and GUILT! When you have been very successful and those around you assume that is still who you are, you want to run away and hide and that is what I did.

The lemons that rolled into my life steered me away from finding solutions and kept me from seeing what was possible. I gave up on the dream of making a difference to many people and decided to PLAY SMALL and help a few people. Have you ever felt that you weren’t doing all that you could do? Like you want to make a bigger difference; you just don’t know how? Maybe you don’t have the time or resources to make it happen? It can be easy to give up like I did. After all, life would go on. I would be fine…or would I?

What I never lost was the support of people around me.

My husband and my friends were angel mentors in disguise, they wouldn’t let me quit and they reminded me that I had a purpose. If you are struggling, you have the opportunity to build a supportive community around you and they will help you realize your full potential. I knew I couldn’t give up! I had a dream. I had experience, knowledge, and great supporters. With that in mind I searched for a recipe for lemonade! I looked deep inside for my purpose, and I found that God had a plan for me all along… it was just on HIS timeline and not mine. I realized that I was trying to do everything on my own, not understanding that this was all a learning experience that gave me the opportunity to walk in the shoes of the entrepreneurs that I wanted to support. Here are some of the sweet ingredients in my lemonade recipe: • Discover your purpose, create your vision and build a positive culture with strong values, even if you are the only one in your business. Have you explored your

WHY? Do you know what your purpose is and what

gifts you have been given to make a difference and lead a life of significance? • Develop your Leadership skills and use them in your business, your family, and your community. My greatest mistake was that I didn’t bring my leadership talents, knowledge and skill to the table. • Put in the hard work, build your expertise, clearly define your goals and have the accountability that makes them happen. I discovered that I had more to learn to be the expert that others needed me to be.

Are there areas that you need to develop and grow? • Use the Power of Association. To achieve your goals and dreams, it’s important for you to surround yourself with successful friends and mentors who will bring positivity and prosperity to you. I am so passionate about this that I joined with other amazing women to create the Founders Team of Assets Are Sexy. We partnered with Sharon Lechter to create a community to support women in achieving financial freedom. I hope you will learn more about our mission by joining us in this adventure.

How did all of this turn out for me? I know where I am going and why!

I am creating maximum personal impact because now I PLAY BIG and have a business with many channels and programs to support more people. I am creating maximum financial impact because I understand the power of having multiple assets with both passive and active income streams to accelerate my success. And of course, I am surrounded by people who provide encouragement and collaboration. Think about how this might apply to you and your business. Are you ready to live a life of success, significance and not sure where to start? Are you clear on your purpose and vision but you are struggling with how to get there? Visit https://www.InspiredLeadersNow and get your journey started with our 5 Proven Leadership Strategies for Success.

We would love to support you in creating your special recipe so put “LEMONADE” in the comments section of the request and I will schedule a personal call with you to explore your possibilities!