The End of One Journey

I was sitting in my mastermind session with @SarahRobinson, @TamiMorello, and @JudiKnight, over-thinking, as usual. In my mind, I was seeing a skydiver, preparing to jump. Words were swirling in my brain: About changes, and exploration, and things that had to stop, so other things could begin.

Judi started recounting a memory about a need to have time to explore, and figure stuff out before you could take a next step.

And in my brain, the image of a skydiver, timing the opening of his chute, came vividly into view.

See, a jumper can’t pull the rip cord as soon as his feet are clear of the plane.

There has to be some amount of freefall  - away from the plane, out into the open.  In one respect, freefall is actually a safety mechanism to make sure the jumper is clear of the plane.

Then, when the cord is pulled and the chute begins to open, the jumper is actually lifted up a bit, as the air fills the chute and slows the descent of the jumper.

Pull the cord too soon, and you could get sucked back into the plane’s engines (youch).

Pull the cord too late, and you end up splatted on the ground (double youch!)

Some jumpers count the seconds until the pull. Others enjoy the view on the way down. They explore the feeling of freefall and look around to see what’s on the horizon, etc.

This brought me back to Judi’s comment about needing time to explore.

Essentially, there are times in our journey, when we need to give ourselves permission to explore, to play the field, to experiment and figure stuff out. To try on new hats, and see which ones we like. We need an opportunity to journey our path of trials and see what awaits us.

I remember the scene in “The Princess Bride” when Westley is recounting how he inherited the “Dread Pirate Roberts” title. He shares with Princess Buttercup how he spent 5 years learning “fencing, fighting – anything anyone would teach him” and ultimately assumed the pirate role when his predecessor retired.

While I don’t think I need 5 years, nor do I want to become the Dread Pirate Roberts per se, it is time to assume my new role.

The Renaissance Mom is an important chapter in my journey. It’s my sandbox, my testing ground. It’s the place where I’ve given myself permission to explore, recreate, mold, scratch out and start over. It’s been a sounding board and a haven for the brain bombs that have kept me up and thinking.

There’s a point on every hero’s journey after they cross a threshold that the path of trials starts to come to an end. They’ve figured out how to defeat the giant, and the hero actually starts living the life of a hero. There’s a freedom and even a bit of ease about life again on the other side of the trials.

You need time to ramble and explore, to get bloodied up on the path of trials and test your mettle, if you will. That’s when you find out if you really do have what it takes to be a hero.

The Renaissance Mom has been my outpost, my “three broomsticks”, my refuge between trials, where I could document this journey and hopefully help others along the way.

And now, it’s time for my next Renaissance.

When I created The Renaissance Mom, I didn’t know for sure how it would turn out. I knew I wanted to help entrepreneurs, and I’ve spent the last year working through what that looks like and how the next evolution will manifest itself in the world.

That day is finally here.

No longer will you see me blogging here. The site will remain up through the end of the year, most likely, but no new posts are being planned. Eventually, even the 30 days to Renaissance will fade away.

Instead, I invite you to join me on the next phase of my adventure: Business Action Hero is obviously not a title that will resonate with everyone, but it’s an incredibly accurate representation of where I’m headed next. Having taking the last year to work on my own renaissance, I know it requires action, faith and a bit of heroism to be a business owner. Business Action Hero is my next evolution, and I’ll be there to help other entrepreneurs to become the hero of their own business, and navigate their own journey.

Until we meet again on the journey…