“Sorry to miss you! I'm re-filling my cup with a little rest, relaxation and sunshine this week. I will get back to you when I return on Monday, Oct. 21. If this is urgent, feel free to text me at 612-327-1787.”
My last out-of-office reply got so many comments in reply. Not that I was looking for a response, but it must have hit a nerve. Those who responded told me that they loved the note and that they also required a refill.
Today I sit here at the cusp of the holiday season. I’m two years and eight months in to starting up Evo Communications. It was a dream I deferred for many years because starting my own business was just too risky, too scary, too unpredictable. The day I decided to take the leap, I looked at the “cup” that was my career and recognized it was sorely in need of a refill. And yet I had done all the things I was supposed to – worked hard, climbed the corporate ladder, secured the golden handcuffs. While the job I had sounded good on paper, I knew it wasn’t for me. A key piece of advice that got me to move past my entrepreneur trepidations: “What is the worst thing that could happen if this doesn’t work out?” Well, when put that way, I couldn’t think of anything too terribly frightening after all.
So in May 2017, I leapt into a totally new world of entrepreneurship. For the first year, I worked seven days a week. It was tiring, but also so invigorating. My professional development was accelerated tenfold. Back in my last corporate job, budgets were tight and professional development opportunities were slim. Now, the business was my classroom. Figuring out how to take my 25 years in corporate communications and turn it into a business that “fills my cup” was the assignment. I’ve learned that filling my cup has meant stretching into uncomfortable places every day – from studying up on a client’s industry (there’s nothing better); to doing something with math or spreadsheets (there’s nothing worse). I’ve also learned that getting 7+ hours of sleep, regular exercise and daily meditation are essential elements to the success of my business.
I am so glad I didn’t wait another day to get started. Yes, there are days that are hard in ways that no corporate job will ever touch. In fact, yesterday was one of those days. Then I woke up this morning, and the responses to my “fill my cup” out-of-office reply sprung to mind. As if it were telling me to pour something new into the mix. So today I am writing my first blog post. I’ve been meaning to start blogging for a while. But every time I opened up a document to start writing, I froze. It felt too risky to put my words out there, too scary to be judged by others, and too unpredictable to see how readers may react to the ideas that pour from my brain.
Well, too late now. It’s out there. I guess I’m doing this! More to come on many corporate communications topics of interest. I hope when you read my blog, it brings your own cup just a little closer to the fill line.
Happy holidays.