You wake up one day and you’re two years shy of 40. You’ve reached a point when it’s no longer about the pay check or the title on the door. Something is missing. Then it hits you. It’s the desire for significance, to make a difference, to give back, to connect, to grow, to be fulfilled, to have time-freedom, flexibility, to ‘work-to-live’ and not merely ‘live-to-work.’ You want to thrive and not just survive in this new ‘Empathy-driven’ economy! You come to the realization that you would have to give up something(s) in order to get the time you require to pursue the life of your dreams.

And so, you give up that six-figure `safe` world. You take up a part-time, minimum wage job, and as you go through the repetitive motions of ‘work’, you hone your ideas and spend  lunch hours scribbling on now tattered papers. Of course, the people in your life look at you and even though they don`t say it aloud, you know what they`re thinking: `She is  absolutely crazy!’ You know because some days, you think so too. Still, you learn to practice selective hearing and  ignore the pitying glances.

Yet, the ideas won`t leave you. You glow when talking about your vision. Time flies when you work on your business plan. You know in your gut that this plan is also your life plan. And life doesn’t stop; commitments to Mr. Rogers, Madame Bell and Ms. Enbridge still need to be kept! So you make sacrifices, cut off cable, stop eating out, become a coupon collector and a bargain shopper. You build a strong bond with the local library and develop inhuman radar for store-wide neon ‘sales’ and get on every thrift store’s mailing list.

Yes, the ideas keep you up at night and so you pray harder and cry to HIM for guidance. And finally one day, you finally take the plunge! You start small, you whisper to a friend, and tell a family member and you ask them to tell others. You find a network of fellow ‘crazy’ people to motivate and guide you. Even with all that passion, fire, focus and hard-work, the butterflies won`t leave you, the nerves hit you again and again. But you just keep going…a little step forward each day because you no longer have a choice. You must either act or die a very slow death!

You worry about monetizing what you love. Will the clients ever come? Does it make any sense at all? You wonder if those voices are right after all  Perhaps, you’re really throwing your life away. You begin to question if you missed the easy turn to ‘Reality-Land’ and took the enticing but difficult turn to ‘La-la Land.’ You look around for resources to help small businesses and stumble upon an amazing group of life-business coaches: Crystal Andrus, Ali Brown, Marie Forleo, Lisa Sasevich and Mike Klingler and their unique approach to ‘Collaborative and Value-based Marketing.’

And then suddenly, after years of slugging away, you wake up to find strangers calling you. Yes, you. Emailing, texting, begging to buy your products and services. They`re now your biggest and most passionate advocates and happily spread the word for you. You know you’ve hit the sweet spot when they pay you to speak, to share, to collaborate. You are glowing again. This time, it’s with the unique light of success.

And like a miracle, you, who begged and bugged friends and family to refer clients, utter these magical words: `I am not currently taking clients at the moment, but is it okay if I put you on my waiting list? ` And as soon as the words leave your lips and you hear their excited voices say: `yes`, you begin to sweat, to tremble, to shake. You double over with joy, with humility, with gratitude, with love and fall on your knees.  As the tears roll down, you whisper again and again: `Lord, I am grateful, Jesus I love you, Baba, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you!`

The preceding is a guest post from Juliet Ume, MBA –Wealth Management Consultant & Lifestyle Coach at Whole Woman Network. Juliet is an avid Life Connoisseur and a passionate advocate of WomEntrepreneurship, Investment & Financial Literacy for women. Follow her on Twitter: @wholewomaninc

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