Two years ago – right about this time, actually – I was just doing my Mom and full-time job thing with a curious jungle of opportunities before me. No clear path. Just a lush, green mess of what could-be’s that required a big scythe or a dangling vine to clear the hurdles.
And that’s when it happened.
The dangling vine: The hand of a former colleague who had started her own business reached out to me and pulled me up to give me a clear view of all that was in front of me. She praised, inspired and played her role in setting my path in motion for writing and helping other women.
Her encouragement, thoughts, and words held onto me until I could set foot on the jungle floor and get my feet wet in the blogging world. She swiftly lifted me back up and swung me right from her handy vine to the next – a woman who had just branched out with a new blogging site for women and needed contributing columnists.
From there, I grabbed onto the vine of a writing coach who encouraged me to write a book. And once I wrote that book, I reached for a branch that brought me to a start-up group for entrepreneurial Moms where I again felt the ground of new experiences and kept swinging forward.
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Heck, I’m even going to acknowledge the vine that Shonda Rhimes extended to me because, without even knowing me, her book swung me through the times of self-doubt and reminded me that I was going through my own “ Year of Yes .”
I could go on: a business and lifestyle coach, a book agent, friends, family, and colleagues all had (and continue to have) their hands in thrusting me forward on my journey.
With every vine that takes my hand and every connection I make, the jungle has been far less daunting. Challenging, yes. But not so daunting.
Because throughout my journey to entrepreneurship, there has always been a woman who has taken me by the hand to help guide me through the jungle of whatever’s next.
Not Tarzan.
Jane.
And not just #MeJane, but #WeJane.