At the start of 2020, I was on cloud nine.
After working my tail off to become a professional speaker for several years, I received a call from an international speaking bureau who was now representing me to the tune of $10k/gig (What?!? Oh, yes, I almost fell out of my chair, too).
My Social Connect PHX event was set for the entire year. I was celebrating year two and I was picking up new clients as as a result of doing what I love – providing people with an experience! My Success over Struggle Podcast was also wrapping up its second season and preparing for a third. Kids were doing really well and happy in school. Hubby was crushing it. Life was pretty darn close to perfect. I finally felt like the breakthrough was here and coming for all of us.
I had also been booked to start emceeing my dear friend and client Joseph Rosales’ Leadership Summit 2020 and was set to travel with he and his team to five cities hosting his event. I was super excited about this next adventure in my life as I’ve always wanted to travel and speak to new audiences. It was all finally coming true.
And then, March hit.
Joseph Rosales and I recording his Success over Struggle Podcast episode.
Joseph and I were recording his Success over Struggle Podcast in my studio. His event was set to take place in a couple weeks on March 25 and I could tell he was getting nervous. We were scheduled to meet after the recording to talk about his event timeline when he looked at me and said, “Tisha, I’ve been watching the news. This COVID thing seems pretty serious. I have this gut feeling we’ll need to cancel or postpone this month’s Leadership Summit until we’re in the clear.”
NOOOOOOO!!!!!! (That was going through my head, but I remained calm for Joseph.)
I wasn’t as in tune with what was happening with COVID until Joseph voiced his concern that day and it started to get more and more real. The empty aisles at the grocery store. The fight for toilet paper, a sole can of cream of mushroom soup (true story) and basic supplies. Governor Ducey’s announcement that all live events would come to a screeching halt. And the kids. These poor kids. Coming off Spring Break only to go back to digital school at home and dealing with the mental anguish and pressures of not seeing their friends or teachers in person.
THIS WHOLE YEAR has been quite the giant CLUSTERF*CK. Not just for me. Not just for my family. But every single person worldwide who has had to learn to in two words how to “be resilient.”
With the opportunities I was hoping for now gone, there was only one way to not let COVID beat any of us. It was in taking back control of our own lives, flipping the script and getting back up.
As soon as you confront what’s happening in the world around you knowing the only place you can go is up, and the only way to be is your most positive self, things start to happen. Your mind starts to shift and things you never thought possible, now become concrete.
Just as the quote says, “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” – Michael Durickas
More on the new adventures in my life coming in the following rule of life lessons soon! Only 15 left to go to round out my passion project! Who’s excited?!? 🙂
Rule of Life Lesson #125:
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