A Series of Fortunate Events – One Step at a Time
Sharon Owens Robustelli
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This is a quote I've heard countless times. While intellectually I knew what it meant, I never truly understood it until now. As I celebrate the one-year anniversary of finally finding my dream job (founder and CEO - yasss!); approach a birthday that admittedly I'm not overly excited to acknowledge though I understand that it is far better than the alternative; and just this morning send my daughter into her room to start the 7th grade, I can't help but reflect on my journey so far.
In hindsight, most of my steps were made with a full heart and a lot of trepidation. Those of any memorable consequence include the step into my high school guidance counselor's office during my junior year. I had no real plan for the future, but did have absolute clarity that there was more for me than what my hometown offered. He gently guided me through the college application process, shared opportunities for scholarships and in the end, helped me land a four-year merit scholarship to a university I'd never heard of that was just where I needed to be.
Next was that final step to the alter 22 years ago. While I knew with absolute certainty he was my person the moment we met two years earlier, the wedding had been planned in just three days. He proposed on a Thursday evening and that Sunday we stood among 80 of our closest family and friends and exchanged vows. My mother was nearing the end of a long battle with cancer and the beautiful person I had fallen in love with wanted to make sure my mom -- my best friend -- would be able to see her daughter get married. That day I joined a new, loving, beautiful family, which through the years have proven that yet again, I was just where I needed to be.
Finally, when I stepped into the role of business owner, it was truly a leap of faith. I wasn't fearful or hesitant, I simply took the first step with absolute certainty that I was on the right path. I haven't been disappointed or given any reason to waiver though I continue to face the same issues anyone faces -- with a global pandemic to boot. By now, I have enough evidence to know that gut instincts matter and never fail to place me just where I need to be.