The Costume Came Off. The Warrior Stayed.

An old video popped up on me yesterday morning.

It's me, a few years ago. Before the diagnosis. Before the big C word entered my life and rearranged everything.

She looks carefree. And she was, in the way you can only be when you have no idea what's coming. She was already walking through trauma and challenges of her own, but she had no clue about the tsunami that was headed straight for her.

I got sad for a minute. I'm not going to lie about that.

Every Halloween, I Was Wonder Woman

Every Halloween, I was Wonder Woman.

Every single year.

And I could pull it off. I looked like her.

It was my thing. People expected it. I loved it. Throw on the costume and there she was.

Then came the diagnosis.

Then the chemo.

And the woman in the mirror changed.

Post Chemo, I Don't Look Like That Anymore

I want to be straight with you, because I'm not interested in the polished version of this story.

Cancer changed how I look. Chemo does that. And if I'm honest, part of what I mourned was her. The woman in the video. The one who could pull off Wonder Woman without even trying.

But then I sat with it a little longer, and another thought showed up.

She couldn't do what I'm doing now.

The Costume Came Off Because I Don't Need One Anymore

She wore that armor because she needed it to walk through what was coming.

And she did walk through it. All of it.

Maybe she didn't lose anything at all. Maybe she transformed into the warrior she always was, for herself and for everyone she fights for.

The costume came off because I don't need a costume anymore.

Today I live my life full out and on purpose. No guilt. No regrets. I say things I never would've said back then. I don't tolerate what I tolerated back then. I know exactly what I'm here for and who I'm here to serve.

My family first.

Small business owners who need help second.

That's it. That's the list.

If I want to do it, I do it. If I want to eat it, I eat it. If I want to go, I go.

So no. It's not sad after all.

What a Hard Season Does to a Person

I work with business owners, and I'll tell you what I've noticed, in my own life and in theirs.

Hard seasons change more than your circumstances.

They change what you tolerate.

They change what you say yes to, and how fast you say no.

They burn away the performance. The version of you that was trying to look the part, keep everybody comfortable, and hold it all together with a costume and a smile.

What's left is the person who actually does the fighting.

Some of you are running your business the way the old version of you built it. Before your hard season. Before you knew what you know now. You're tolerating customers you should fire, prices you should raise, and days you shouldn't be working, because that's what you put up with.

You're not that person anymore.

You don't have to run your business like her.

If You're in the Middle of Yours

If you're in the middle of your hard season right now, hear this from the other side of it.

The version of you that's struggling isn't the end of your story. She's the one carrying you to the warrior you're becoming.

Let her do her job.

And when you get to the other side, don't mourn her. Thank her, and live like it mattered.

Because it did.

I'm Michelle K. People call me the Business Fixer.

I work with new and established business owners who are tired of guessing and ready to understand what's really holding their business back.

What if you're fixing the wrong problem?

If you're ready to find out, book a 15-minute Business Clarity Call: https://links.themichellek.com/widget/booking/MhXKki6KLf8cTVFuTv5P

You can also find me at themichellek.com.