In honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to dedicate this post to my personal love story.
Many people think their personal lives are completely separated from their business lives…but I am here to tell you that is bs.
Relationships are relationships – and business is built on them.
I have found that business and personal lives tend to mirror each other in a lot of ways.
This is part of the appreciation thing I have been talking about recently, and why I think it is important to share this with you.
Now, back to my love story.
I was married once before.
And, while I don’t need to get into the details, let’s just say I got married for the wrong reasons.
I thought that being in love over the long haul was a fantasy and wasn’t real.
I didn’t really have a justification for this belief – my parents were madly in love.
But, needless to say, my belief resulted in a marriage to a man who was a great father, but not perfect for me.
After 14 years I found myself covering the best parts of me to be present in the relationship and I was becoming resentful – it wasn’t worth it anymore.
I got to a point where I realized I would rather be alone forever – and able to be authentically myself – than to stay in the current relationship.
So I left.
I went on 15 dates in 3 months.
I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, but knew dating would be a part of my new reality, so I took the plunge head on.
During that time, I met Alan.
Being with him was so easy and so much fun. (In case you couldn’t guess it… he is the one this love story is about!)
In 2016 we are celebrating 15 years of marriage.
And you know what? It is still freaking fantastic.
We have the kind of love that a younger version of myself would scoff at.
I feel a little sad for that girl – if only she knew the great love that awaited her…
Anyway, Alan and I would rather go grocery shopping together than do anything with anybody else. We just genuinely love being around each other.
The juxtaposition between those two relationships – what I have come to see – is having the space for each of us to be exactly who we are.
And also for us to be exactly who we are not.
Alan is perfect.
He isn’t perfect for everybody, but he is absolutely perfect for me.
Is he annoying sometimes? Yes.
But we don’t fight, because there is nothing to fight about.
In those instances we go to other sides of the house and do our own thing for a while.
He is allowed to be however he is going to be.
And what is amazingly beautiful is that I can be too.
I can be fun and silly and give him crap and it doesn’t matter because that is all part of me.
For anyone who hasn’t found a love or a relationship like this, my advice is to keep looking.
If you aren’t sure if you have found it… you haven’t.
The search can be difficult sometimes, but it is so worth it.
Life is too short to fit into someone else’s mold. Know who you are and find someone who loves you for it, truly sees you, and encourages you to be yourself. It’s amazing.
So, how does this relate to business?
This is how I see it: the more I can allow others in my life to be who they are, the more space I have to be me.
And it is that… right there…
That spot is the place where you really connect with people.
That is where people fall in love with you – and you fall in love with them.
And from there… business is easy.
I have so many clients and people I have come into contact with in my business that I truly love in this way. I want you to be you – and so I will always be me. I could not be myself if I wasn’t supported by great people. Alan is at the center of that – but you are there too!
I want you to know that this Valentine’s Day, you are truly loved and appreciated. Thank you for being in my life. Do you have a love story? Either personal or in your business (or both)? Please share with us in the comments so we can all share the love.
Until then… stay passionate!
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