Forgetting Leadership – My Wake-Up Call

Bear with me on this post, please.

I’ve previously written about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. I’ve written that it’s exhausting, that it’s challenging, that it’s inspiring and that it is absolutely who I am and what I am meant to do. I am 100% entrepreneur. However, I don’t think I have ever been able to put into words what if  feels like to be the Founder of a company like Hot Mama. How it feels to be the leader of what, in my heart and soul, I know is an incredibly important business.

And I still can’t until you watch this video. If you could please take the 5-minutes to watch this video so you can understand what Hot Mama feels  like for me, it’ll help you understand what I’m blabbing on about for the rest of this post!

https://www.facebook.com/alivepost/videos/1646786752312874/

Okay. Now, this video will speak to a number of people in a number of different ways. But, if you want to know what my journey as the leader of Hot Mama is like…it is this. But, instead of one 160lb man on my back, I have 19 franchise owners, I have 50+ applicants, I have 1000s of Mamas who are already involved in Hot Mama and I have 100’s of 1000’s that still need my help. I also I have a 40lb daughter, a 60lb son and a 220lb husband up there on my back.

Recently I have felt disheartened, I have felt uninspired, I have felt exhausted. Until today. One of my franchise owners posted that video on our Hot Mama Franchise Owner FB Group and she wrote “This is for you Lindsay. I know you put your heart and soul into this and you have to dig deep”. I have to say when I clicked start, I wondered what I was in for. Within 20 seconds I was in tears. And the tears wouldn’t stop flowing for the entire video.

“Keep moving. Keep going. Don’t quit on me. Keep driving.”. I don’t know how many times I have said this to myself. I don’t know how many times this has been said to me. I am both coach and player in this video. I have to be both coach and player. I need to do the work, but I also need to be the voice that screams “You keep going. Don’t you quit.”.

“It hurts”, I want to yell at the top of my lungs.

“It’s all heart from here.” I have to shout back to myself.

Until today I had forgotten that I am a leader. I. Had. Forgotten. That. I. Am. A. Leader. I remember now. I have been reminded and this reminder couldn’t have come at a more critical time.

So, I will keep going. I will keep driving. I will keep pushing and I will keep digging. Because my coach tells me that’s what I need to do. Because I don’t know how great I can be until I collapse.

Why is this video so important to me? It’s not just the video…it’s the fact that one of my franchise owners saw it and thought of me. “You are the most influential player on this team, if you walk around defeated, so will they.” That gave me mega goosebumps.

I am in no way defeated and I am in no way even close to giving up (nor have I ever been), but it was a definite eye-opener to watch this video. “Don’t tell me you can’t give me more than what I’ve been seeing…God’s gifted you with the ability of leadership, don’t waste it….Can I count on you?”.

You bet your sweet ass you can count on me. This was my wake-up call. Yes, life is hard. Yes, business is hard. But I can do more than I think I can. I can be greater than I am or than I dream to be. I just have to keep going. I have to lead and inspire. I have to push and drive even when it hurts. I have to dig so deep and carry the load I have to carry so that I, and all of my Hot Mamas, can achieve greatness.

And you do too. We all have loads to carry. We all have challenges and hurts we need to push through. But as leaders, we need to buckle down and just get the work done. Lead if you’re a leader. Don’t waste it on doubt any longer. I’m certainly not going to put my energy there for a moment more.

I’m a leader. I’m their leader. I’m your leader. I will push and I will dig and I will drive.

I will keep going.

I will do the work and carry this load I have to carry.

I am a leader. I will not stop.

Thanks Marie. Truly. I am grateful.