Remember the days pre COVID? The days where you could host your multiple day enrollment event IN PERSON? People would show up and you would pour into them for three days and on day two you’d make your offer. Those days seem long gone.

As you all very well know, when COVID hit, those in person events ceased to exist. And so did my company. First, I was in shock. You know, only 6 months prior I had fully committed to work the business I’m in, event management, with focus on logistics and sales. I have a huge history in the event world but for reasons not important to this blog, I didn’t put a stake in the sand until the fall of 2019.

No live events, no income, no company. These were the perfect ingredients for my very own pity party. And so a pity party I had.

For those of you who know me, you know that’s not really who I am. The thing is though that I’d been on a journey of self discovery for years now trying to figure out what Yvonne wanted to do when she grew up. And I had found it! I was in the perfect lane … MY lane! I loved working the events. Working the back of the room, leading my teams, bringing in sales, holding space in the room for possibility, supporting my client, all of it!

And then … it was all gone. It felt like the rug had been pulled from underneath me. It was painful. I was mad. I was sad. I know now that I was going through the different stages of grief. At the time, I wasn’t fully aware of this. I was just feeling all the feels. 

One Sunday afternoon in April 2020, I was having a Zoom call with one of my closest friends, who’s also my coach and mentor. Her name is Michele. She was casually asking how things were going. And then … all hell broke loose – I let it all out. I started ranting and I could feel myself escalate. I told her that everyone could just go and figure it all out on their own. I was done. I was done doing events. I was done being strong. I was done being there for everyone and figuring it all out. I kept spewing until I had nothing left in me. And then I fell silent. 

Michele looked at me and without missing a beat, she said, “Well, Yvonne, that’s rather selfish! There are people out there who need you!” 

I looked at her. 

I knew this was true.

I knew that I needed to pull up my big girl panties and get moving.

So I did.

I redirected my anger, sadness and frustration to something more useful. How could I help my clients create a fun, successful and profitable online event? I knew I had the answers. So I started reaching out to prospects, to former clients, friends, colleagues and the like and started having conversations. From there, I started booking events, working them and learning tons as I moved along.

The moral of the story is this. I think we all have times where we want to throw the towel in. It is okay to have a pity party. It is okay to vent to a friend, mentor, family member. 

However, it is NOT okay to give up. To walk away from your calling. To look away when you know you can help others. When times are hard, ask for help. Reach out to friends who are great listeners and can hold space. Who won’t judge and are able to be honest with you. Sometimes you need someone to hold up the mirror. And with love, tell you the truth. Even if it is hard to hear in the moment. 

Now go and live your dream life! Know you have it in you!

P.S. Thanks, Michele, for always believing in me!