It was New Year’s Eve 2017.

My mom came over and brought whatever she had with her. A whole bunch of icky ick that I caught it New Year’s Day and would continue to have this junk for the next two weeks.

I couldn’t get off the couch. My body had molded to the cushion I was that sick. I curled up in a ball on my kiddos’ winter break immobile, first sweating uncontrollably than freezing my butt off trying to figure out why I felt so dang horrible and how to shake it. I told my kiddos to stay as far away as possible and then I let my mind go there.

To that place where the first couple of weeks are now over in the New Year and I think I’m off to a lousy start and can’t possibly get back up from being down and out.

A friend told me this is the dreaded “business owner’s curse” and assured me we ALL go through it.

Coming off the holidays, it really is one of the most challenging things being a business owner to get back into the swing of things, particularly if you have school-aged children who are on break for a few weeks every other month it seems.

Even contemplated getting a job dog sitting. It was flexible. No one would bother me. I’d be in and out in a flash. No one to answer to, just four-legged friends eagerly awaiting their walk or treat.

I scheduled a doctor’s visit and really should have heeded her advice when she gave me two options for drug choices – kick it fast with Prednisone aka crack cocaine for three days, oh and you won’t sleep at all and be extremely irritable, or take an antibiotic which should kick it within the next week.

Choices, choices.

I had already been feeling horrible for two weeks, figured why not go the three-day route even though she gave me all sorts of caution signs as did the pharmacist who echoed her words when I picked up my prescription.

And she was right. I had officially been prescribed crack cocaine, or at least that’s what I called it. I couldn’t sleep. Was extra jittery and irritable to the 10th degree. It sucked, but I was super productive, got a ton done and even contemplated starting my own “insomniac business mentoring hotline” because other people on Facebook couldn’t sleep either. Funny yes, but God honest truth.  I even had my first beta client, Todd.

Until an email popped up on Friday, January 12, 2018.

I had applied to speak at Phx StartupWeek online and on December 5, 2017, I was notified I made the first round of auditions and it was now time to record an audition video.

Leading up to my audition, I had been told by a prominent figure in the organization in a very uncomfortable, awkward LinkedIn connection exchange that I didn’t have what it took to speak there. My words were just my theory. I wasn’t a startup with any experiences to share. I was a consultant and not a legit entrepreneur. The organization was looking for tech companies that could help a business scale.

I definitely felt defeated. When I approached my videographer Dave at Luxium Creative with this news, he said, “Well, let’s make a damn good first impression with your video then, Tisha.”

Why do we do that to ourselves?

One person tears us down and tells us we can’t and we believe them? I just about gave into the fact that I wasn’t good enough to get this speaking gig and didn’t want to even try.

Until Dave stepped in and told me I wouldn’t get an opportunity like this again. Gotta love Dave.

I stuck to my guns and in my audition video first thanked PHX Startup Week for giving me the opportunity to advance to the second round and that the one thing I wanted to share with startups was 10 essentials they all needed to crush it in business. No, not an accountant or a good marketing plan, but integrity, grit and killer badass confidence above all other things.

January 12th the news came through that I had MADE IT! I was speaking at Phx StartupWeek my very first time applying!

Talk about the most incredible feeling when someone tells you that you can’t, devalues your worth and you prove to them otherwise.

As for the guy who doubted me? Let’s just say he ran into me more times than he probably wanted to leading up to the event and the week of including at my “standing room only” talk.

BOOM.

BEST.DAY.EVER.

Rule of Life Lesson #89:

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