Why You Should Enjoy the Ride
A few weeks ago, one of our nearest and dearest tied the knot.
First, please admire this beautiful couple: our Growth Consultant, Ryan Villanueva, and his wife, Kathryn.
Ryan’s wedding….was NOT what I (or anyone) expected it to be.
First, there was the shuttle. A few minutes before we were supposed to depart for the ceremony, my phone pinged me with an email.
Ryan.
Letting us know that the shuttle wasn’t working properly. There might be a delay, but not to worry. They would hold the ceremony for those of us heading over from the hotel until the shuttle was ready to go.
5 minutes later—another ping.
Ryan again.
This time: there have been multiple bomb threats called in on tourist destinations across the state in the last hour. Including…the wedding venue.
A bomb squad (presumably) was coming to the premises to investigate. The ceremony would be delayed an hour or two.
Wow.
I reconnected with some of my friends, and we spent a great couple of hours at the casino while we waited. Two hours later, we got the all-clear to head to the venue.
In a torrential downpour.
The wedding is supposed to be partially outdoors. So they pivot again.
Eventually, these two are actually, officially married.
And the whole event is one of the best weddings I’ve ever attended.
***
Just about anything that could go wrong DID go wrong.
Despite careful planning, there was all this stuff that happened that was out of anybody’s control.
The only thing Ryan and Kathryn could control was how they responded.
(Do you see where I’m going with this?)
They chose to smile. They chose to let go, have fun, and enjoy this beautiful, crazy day that they would remember forever.
So much went sideways that it actually made them less stressed—they could stop worrying about the wedding being perfect.
It wasn’t.
But in its own way, it was.
***
One of our company core values is Enjoy the Ride.
Ryan’s wedding reminded me why this concept is so important to me.
Life presents you with extreme adversity. You’ve got to roll with it.
Especially if you’re growing a company. Even with the best planning in place, you’ll face many challenges and unknowns. You’ll never really stop bobbing and weaving. You’ll never run out of problems.
You can’t control everything.
Once you stop trying, your stress level drops. You can have fun again.
Not everyone has had the best ride in 2023.
But the new year is approaching fast. And one thing I know is that change is inevitable.
The ride of entrepreneurship never promised to be sedate. It truly is a roller coaster. Roller coasters can be terrifying. They can be exhilarating, too.
Whatever is waiting for you in 2024, I truly hope you enjoy the ride.
