When life forces us to narrow our focus, it often feels like a loss when you are in it. It feels like wisdom when you are looking back!
A friend recently shared how losing her job gave her the unexpected gift of being fully present as a parent. She was cherishing the newfound time, but you could also sense that her identity as a working mother remained deeply important.
It made me wonder how genuinely happy a sentiment like that really is. Not because I doubt her, but because I’m sure there’s some fear behind her words. A desire to work again. A desire to feel like she still matters professionally.
Yet my first reaction was simple joy for her. She was blessed with the role of being a mother — a role that will last far longer than any job she’ll ever have.
Even more, she was getting to experience something I think we all long for – narrowing our focus in this modern world.
About a year ago, my business hit a major setback. We ran out of capital after a year of trying to do too much. I saw it coming, I knew the risks, and I still didn’t slow us down.
We hit the wall hard laying off half the team and were forced to focus on only what mattered. The mandate became painfully simple: get profitable and stop burning cash. No more runway. No more distractions. Narrow the focus and build something worthy of the next investment.
And in the second half of last year, that narrower focus worked. We turned a small profit. We learned something about ourselves and have emerged stronger than ever.
And I gained a piece of wisdom that I shared with my job-seeking friend.
Sometimes the only way to grow is to let go.
We all want more — more responsibility, more income, more purpose. But “less” isn’t failure. Sometimes it’s a reset. A sharpening. A chance to gain the wisdom we didn’t know we needed.
I’d like to try that next time!
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