Blog

This summer has been pretty brutal in Chicago – and my personal life was no exception.

On one hand, SummertimeChi, as we Chicagoans so lovingly call it, is the arguably the best time of the year. After being cooped up inside all winter long (even that was a breeze), and finally being able to hang out on various rooftop bars, patios, the beaches, festivals and simply basking in the summer that is Chicago, it is definitely what we all look forward to do all year.

On the other hand, the Summer has also been the hottest it’s been in years and on many days, it was difficult to enjoy the outdoors.

Today, as I was watering my plants, I realized that with the incredibly hot temperatures this summer, some patches of my grass don’t look like it has any fighting chance of living. Brown, “crunchy” as my kids call it. Yet other parts are lush, bright green and oh-so soft on your bare feet.

It reminded me of my life, or just life in general. During seasons of temperature highs, certain parts of life feel like it’s just not wanting to go right. It may be going through a season of transition or into a new phase, or even an exit. No matter how much you water it, it doesn’t want to grow.

Yet on the flip side, the greener side, all things seem to progress right along. My career, my business, and my projects are all receiving very positive reviews from peers, colleagues and future clients and partners. I’m almost afraid it’s going too well that something terrible is bound to happen there too.

As a mom and woman with great ambition, it comes naturally, like to many of you,  to set goals and make my moves to ensure my goals are met. Whether it’s for the kids, the family, or my business, it’s just what most women are wired to do. Much less, a woman with an entrepreneurial spirit.

However when things aren’t going as anticipated, where do I go? What do I do?

I guess my biggest lesson this summer is to take the bad as well as I do the good. Sometimes, things that seem like bad situations are God’s way of re-calibrating our lives – to put us on a new path, a new journey.

I’m always going to be learning and making mistakes along the way. I will have  many successes and maybe even more failures. But what I do know is that I cannot be afraid of risks because they may result in failure.

Afterall, even Michael Jordan didn’t always make the last second winning shot!

I thank God for my children who always breathe a new life into me just when I thought I couldn’t do it. 

How do you cope with the seasons in your life?