What CAN you do?

So, wrote a blog post about how “cash is not king.” Got loads of lovely responses – fab! Thank you!

Had one interesting response in which the person said, more or less: “It’s fine for you to talk about values, with your nice husband and your lovely family and your farm and your multi-million pound business and your MBE. But what about the people who are in tough circumstances and don’t have a choice? They just to have put up with what they’ve got. Not everyone is as lucky as you!”

Ok, fair enough. I do feel v. fortunate in my life today. But it wasn’t always like this.

Here’s the thing:

On New Years Day, 2007, I escaped an abusive relationship with two children and one suitcase in the car. I found myself in a strange country with no job, no friends, no prospects, no money, no home and no family willing to help me. I remember driving to the nearest town, which was utterly deserted (it was New Years Day, after all, and everything was shut) parking up by the empty red phone booth and thinking helplessly, “Well, what now?”

I’ve come a long way since that dark day, but I remember it so clearly – that feeling of desperation and being trapped, of not being able to imagine things ever getting better.

So – don’t talk to me about can’t.

I’ve been there, and I can honestly say to you:

If I can do it, anyone can.

I didn’t start out with advantages. My family wasn’t particularly supportive. I didn’t meet my lovely husband until I was 41 years old. We didn’t start our business until I was 48. We had no financial assets to begin with – no money, no investors, no loans, no grants.

So, since the world will spend a lot of time instructing you about what you can’t do, allow me to tell you a bit about what you can.

You can change your life. It’s not too late. And change can happen in a heartbeat!
You can work every day doing something you find meaningful.
You can run a business which serves a positive purpose.
You can do well by doing good.
You can create a business which is a combination of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can make money doing.
You can wake up every day eager to get to work, work hard all day and finish reluctantly because there’s still more you want to do.
You can make the world a better place with your efforts.
You can work alongside people you love and enjoy.
You can set a high standard, and inspire the people with whom you come into contact to raise their game.
You can refuse to compromise.