The Conscious CEO & The Awakened Corporate: Seasons – Nothing You Feel Will Last Forever

by Jennifer Peters | Apr 30, 2019 | The Conscious CEO

It’s now end of July and we’ve been open 3 months. I can’t believe it – in so many ways. There were DEFINITELY times when I never thought we would open. I mean, just last July, my business was in the back of my car, driving from Farmer’s Market to Farmer’s Market trying to sell cookies. Seriously. I pulled the table and tent in and out of the car like a champ & poor Savi and Oreo would sit in a lawn chair at each market like the princesses they are. They drew more freaking attention then my cookies did.

I’d be up until the middle of the night on a Friday evening, with my kitchen looking like hell, baking, packaging and sorting the “Just BE Naughty” line of treats. Then, waking up early on Saturday to hit the market. I’m not gonna lie – it was depressing at times. I thought I was a fake business owner. “We’re looking for a location” I would say over and over and over and I just felt like a failure.

Then we got the location. And a new Season commenced. How do we fix this? When will funding be finalized? Where do I find an electrician? What is a salamander again? And all the details…But people FLOODED in to help me – what can i do, how can i be a part of this they would ask. I’m forever grateful tor all those friends in my life who cared.

Then we opened. And people literally walked through the door on the first day. I remember sitting there wondering if we were going to feed a single soul. We did and we actually fed a few. The new Season arrived.

And now we are in another Season three months on – how can we grow sales? How do we get the word out about us? Why are our labor costs all over the place – how can we streamline, x, y and z process to make it more seamless. How do we retain talent and grow them.

The point is – I somehow have come to realize that whatever I’m feeling at a point in time…it doesn’t last. It’s just the Season I’m in. And right when I think I’ve “nailed” the Season…I move into another one. So while that brings chaos and uncertainty and TEARS & a lot of use of the F-word (remember my last post?)…this week I realized I felt at peace with knowing what’s happened at our 3 month mark is just another Season that I’m in.

Sometimes…like those 2 years we looked for a location…the season is long and cold and like Winter. Sometimes, it feels like Spring – short and a quick ‘bloom’ of a flower as we had our opening week…and now Summer as we feel the “heat” of trying to maintain sales, manage costs, deal with managing our volumes and processes and the “guts” of the operations.

I don’t know what the next Season will bring. But at least I know that either way – a good Season or a bad one…it’s never permanent. So I need to be “on my game” when the Season is good and try to do what we believe will set us up for shorter, “bad” Seasons – or as I like to say, attempt to reduce the suffering period.

But what I know is this…every Season has its purpose. It’s all meant to change, expand or help me heal a part of myself I haven’t yet healed. I’m not sure I always learn the lesson in each one…but I’ve gotten better at identifying that I’m “just in a new Season” and this is exactly how it’s meant to be, right now.

I’m not perfect, I forget this and I need reminding. Remind someone else you see going through a Season too.

The key when you’re crazy and tired and feel all hope is gone – is to try to be as conscious as possible that the Season is temporary. Grace comes. Love arrives. Joy exists.

And most importantly, know it won’t last. And that, my sweet readers, gives peace to the process.