Three years ago, I left my biotech job to embark on a solopreneur adventure. Here’s a lesson I’ve had to learn over and over again:
There is no one moment when you’ve “made it”.
Right after leaving my job and each year since, I’ve gone away on a me-treat to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going.
Not this year. Life got in the way. Instead, I did my yearly reflection in my own backyard (figuratively, since it was raining ☔ ).
I realized that there’ve been phases in my solopreneur journey, kind of like clinical drug development:
1️⃣ Phase I – Exploration:
Drawing on my scientist powers of experimentation, I tried different ways of working, consulting, and writing. I learned from what was and wasn’t compelling to me to move on to:
2️⃣ Phase II – Proof of Concept:
I focused on scientific leadership coaching as a way to serve the science professionals I care so much about, and have seen the results in my clients.
3️⃣ Phase III – Scaling up:
Now that I understand who I want to serve and what I want to do, this new phase is about reaching more organizations and individuals.
But the drug development metaphor falls short here:
In life, there is no one shining moment of “approval” where everything fits perfectly in place. It’s an ongoing journey with successes and bumps along the way.
And similarly – since we all fall in this trap – there’s no one person or persons who if you gain their “approval”, you magically reach an enduring pinnacle of success.
For me, understanding that there is no one moment of arrival but I will be constantly building, re-building and changing is both daunting and liberating.
Stay tuned for what’s next, and thank you for being there and encouraging me these past three years.
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