Become the CEO of Your Own Life

Day of Hope #123 - Monday March 13, 2023

Goal: Trust my timing, keep moving forward, and enjoy the journey

Quote: “You are the CEO of your own life. Hire, fire, and promote accordingly.” – Unknown

Today’s Day of Hope started a little earlier than I would have preferred.

I needed to send out a few Board documents for work first thing in the morning. Not exactly the ideal way to begin a day that is supposed to be all about me, but once they were sent, I was officially off for the rest of the day. And I was ready.

I took a long shower and then headed to Fred Meyer to tackle a few errands I had been putting off. I’ve learned something about myself over the years: when the little unfinished things around me start piling up, they take up space in my brain too. Getting organized helps me focus. And today, I needed that focus because my book edits were waiting.

Keep Going

Originally, I planned to take myself out for lunch, but I decided I would rather head home and get started on my manuscript. And you know what? I’m felt really good about it.

There have been so many moments throughout this book-writing journey when I’ve wondered whether I could actually do this. Writing the book was hard. Letting other people read it was hard. Receiving feedback was hard. Editing it again and again has definitely been hard.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted. I stopped asking myself whether I could finish it and started believing that I would finish it. The answer was never to have everything figured out. The answer was simply: Keep going.

Can We Talk About Something Good?

I also had my weekly coaching call today. I logged onto the call feeling so happy and excited that I actually asked my coach: “Can we talk about something good on these calls?” Ha! He laughed and said, “Of course.” So, he asked me to tell him what had gone right over the past week. My answer? So many things.

My website. My book. My plans for eventually leaving my corporate job. My future business. Everything I had been working toward seemed to be moving forward, and for the first time in a while, I could really feel the momentum.

Then he asked me to name one thing that hadn’t gone well. That answer was easy too. My relationship.

I was learning to give someone I cared about the space to make their own choices without trying to control the outcome. That wasn’t always easy for me. But I was beginning to understand that their decisions were theirs to make.

And mine were mine. My coach gave me advice that I want to remember. He told me to really notice how I felt in this moment, happy, excited, hopeful, and proud. Remember this feeling.

Because difficult feelings will come again. There will be disappointment, fear, frustration, and uncertainty. When they do, I can remind myself that those feelings aren't permanent either. I have evidence that life can also feel exciting. I have memories of things working out. I have proof that I can feel hopeful even when one part of my life is uncertain. What a great reminder.

I’m the CEO of My Own Life

After my coaching call, I spent about five hours working on my book. Five hours! I was completely focused, working through edits and moving the manuscript another step closer to becoming the book I have envisioned for so long.

I was also supposed to launch my Hopes Highways website today, March 13th. But I made a decision. I’m moving the launch to May.

The old version of me might have looked at that as falling behind. The current version of me sees it differently. I am the CEO of my own life. And as CEO, I get to make the call.

I would rather move the date and launch something I’m proud of than rush simply because I once wrote a date on the calendar. Moving a deadline does not mean abandoning the dream. Sometimes it means protecting it. There are times when determination means pushing yourself to keep going. And there are other times when leadership means recognizing that the plan needs to change.

Both can be progress. That realization felt incredibly freeing.

A Simple Ending to a Really Good Day

After hours of editing, I closed the computer. Enough. I made myself some hot-air popcorn, curled up, and watched a movie. Nothing fancy. No big trip. No elaborate adventure. Just a productive, peaceful Day of Hope filled with errands, coaching, writing, dreaming, and eventually resting.

As I thought about the day, I realized how much my definition of success has changed. Success isn't hitting every deadline perfectly. It isn't having every relationship figured out. It isn't knowing exactly how the next five years will unfold. Success is knowing what matters to me and continuing to move toward it, even when I need to change lanes along the way.

My book is moving forward. Hopes Highways is moving forward. I am moving forward. And that is enough for today.

Bonus: Hopes Highways Is Official!

There was one more pretty big thing that happened this month. Hopes Highways officially became an LLC. Yep. A real, legal company.

For so long, Hopes Highways had lived in my head, my journals, my vision boards, and all the notes scattered around my office. I had been writing the book, building the website, creating ideas, and talking about the business I wanted to build.

But this month, I made it official. Hopes Highways, LLC. I remember thinking: Well...shit’s about to get real. Ha! There was something exciting, and a little scary, about seeing it become an actual company. This wasn't just an idea I could keep talking about someday doing.

I was doing it. No backing out now. Okay, technically I suppose I could back out. I'm still the CEO, after all. But I don't want to.

This dream has been growing for ten years, one Day of Hope at a time. And now it has a name, a purpose, a plan, and officially, an LLC behind it. Hopes Highways is real and I’m ready to see where this highway takes me next.

My Lesson of Hope: You are the CEO of your own life. You get to decide when to push forward, when to change the plan, when to give something space, and when to rest. Moving a deadline isn't giving up. Changing direction isn't failure. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is trust yourself enough to make a course correction and keep driving toward the life you want.