By Stefania Aulicino
Parents love their children- at least most of the time. Yet, sometimes they need a break from those little bundles of joy. A harried mother deserves some adult company.
I’ve been a competitive sail boat racer in small boats for over 26 years. yet this year I needed a break from the exhilaration of “I’ll never say no”; that “go for broke” attitude that inevitability leads to heavy weather competition in gear busting conditions. Instead, for the first time I did some pleasure sailing this year – selecting only sunny conditions with pleasant 10 knot wind conditions.
I love my company, and all my clients.
It’s no exaggeration that I consider my clients my corporate kids.
It’s my passion to help my clients grow through their corporate adolescent.
Like any proud parent I strive to have my kids achieve their full potential in life.
OK, my attention is their BUSINESS life so as a Corporate Mom, my focus is for my clients to pursue THEIR passion and achieve profitable, fast growth in a safe way.
My company is all about passion.
So it was a surprise that I recently felt a need for a break.
Can you really need a break from your passion?
Am I not in love with my mission of 40 years?
What is going on?
What’s not to love about what I do…
• dealing with all those exciting break thru companies
• engaging with business owners genuinely excited and confident about their mission
• empowering businesses willing to brave economic recessions annd depressions to making a difference in the world
But I need a break!
I’ve been perfecting my career for 40 years.
I started my first company in 1972, spent 15 years on wall street as an undercover business builder, then building on all that, my current – and third company –is now 23 years old.
Should I feel guilty?
Is my passion any less genuine?
What kind of break will rekindle my fire?
I don’t have the answer, but I hope this discussion will open a dialogue which might serve you because as business visionaries, we need to protect our passion
Consider these 3 questions:
1.What is the longest you have been away from your company—your baby?
How differently have you allowed yourself to experience life?
If you live in NYC, have you just gone to san Francisco or have you sought to experience a city where you don’t speak the local language and the culture is foreign?
2. What is a source of energy for you?
Have you become addicted to the adrenaline high of fight vs flight for every challenge?
If you are a type A personality, have you just applied your same make-it happen energy to a volunteer organization (same adrenaline, different venue)? Or have you explored new sources that energize you like painting or sculpture -where the only person who needs to be satisfied at the end of the day is YOU!
3. How do you measure your progress?
As business owners we are encouraged to keep score with our income statement and balance sheet.
• is the top line rising
• is the bottom line increasing at the same time
• how much do we owe others
• is the value of what we keep appreciating in value?
How do you measure your passion?
If you are like many business owners, do you apply the same dollar and cents indicators? Or have you considered the spiritual aspect of what you do for a living in the context of progress toward your purpose in life?
When I answered these questions for myself, I had a revelation.
After 40 years of working hard to built a “passion-driven” company, I am finally ready to explore the many dimensions that make up the “passion-driven” me!
I was never a one dimensional person.
Yet, my focus was on advancing the progress of my business passion- and that one dimension has gotten a lot more of my conscious attention over the last 40 years. Today I have discovered a craving to nurture my other dimensions- which make my passion whole.
I want to share all of me and seek to engage with those who share all of themselves.
Does your passion need a break?
What did you discover?
Hope you will share your story with me.
Stefania Aulicino, president of CapitalLinkUSA ensures business owns get cash to keep control of a bigger, more profitable company, faster, safer than they ever thought possible- in any economy. Become a magnet for non equity and equity sources to fuel your growth. Explore our tools, solutions and consulting options tailored for different growth stages and different budgets: www.CashAndControl.com
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