Time to Fly!

This mantra by Erin Hanson is one of my favorites. We get scared. We fail. We get scared of failing, and we fall down from time to time – this scares us, too. But of this I’m sure: we cannot allow the fear of falling to keep us from spreading our wings, getting out of our cushy cozy comfort zone, and allowing ourselves to fly. Starting your own business can be scary, but this truth is also liberating and exciting!

Once I had this realization, I did not deliver my resignation letter the next day. I spent a lot of time thinking about this decision, discussing the change with my husband and friends, and then thinking about it some more. What do I want my life to be? What if I let go of the security of my day job and bet on myself to start a greeting card line “starring” Macaroni & Luigi? Going full force at everything had become my standard approach. My intuition was telling me that I could be successful if I stepped away from the intense juggling act and took the leap. So I trusted it.

While discussing my concerns about leaving my day job, a friend gave me this valuable piece of advice, “It’s like flying trapeze. You can’t catch the the next bar until you let go of the first one.” Once I had a solid plan in place for the transition, I’ve been able to turn my attention fully to pursuing my goals with Macaroni & Luigi.

I’ve spent a fabulous twenty years in the wine business, and the last five years with Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel. How fortunate am I to have had a career so wonderful that makes saying goodbye to it so hard. It’s a very bittersweet time. But it’s also time for me to catch that wind and fly.