Fall Into Clarity

This week, I was asked to give a talk on the theme Fall Into Clarity.

With Good Life Juice currently for sale, it felt like pretty perfect timing. I talked about how I knew I was ready to sell, how much our identity can get wrapped up in what we do, and the question everyone keeps asking me: What’s next?

The talk felt like it was really well received, so I thought I’d share an abbreviated version here.

..........................................

I recently put Good Life Juice up for sale. After almost 13 years of building this business, the two questions I get asked most are:

How did you know it was time?

And...

What are you going to do next?

The answer to the second one is easy:

A period of low responsibility + high creativity. 

But let's not forget, first I have to sell the biz!  It could take a long time and I am not in a rush. This actually isn't the first time I've considered selling Good Life. About three years ago, I listed the business for sale. I was tired and feeling uninspired, and selling seemed like it might be the answer.

Then I started meeting with potential buyers. And my reaction was surprisingly strong: Nope. It felt wrong. So I pulled the listing.

Once selling was off the table, something interesting happened -I became excited about Good Life again. I went back in with new energy and had several really good years.

Exploring the option of leaving had actually given me clarity that I didn't want to leave.Fast-forward three years and I'm facing the same decision, except this time it feels completely different.I'm not desperate to get out. I'm still excited about Good Life, I love my team and I love so much about my day-to-day.

And I still feel ready.

There wasn't a spreadsheet that told me that. It just feels like the right time.

Good Life has been part of my life for almost 13 years. I've spent a huge chunk of my adult life being the Juice Lady.

When you build a business, it can become surprisingly easy to blur the line between this is what I do and this is who I am.But Good Life isn't who I am. And the important parts of me don't disappear when my job title changes. So... what's next? I genuinely don't know.

What I actually want next is space. A little less responsibility and a little more creativity. Time to make things, spend time with my kids, work a little less and figure out what feels exciting again. We're really good at filling space. Finish one thing, immediately start another. We tend to think it goes:

Clarity → plan → change.

But maybe sometimes we have it backwards.

Maybe it's:

Space → clarity.

Maybe we don't always need to know what's next before we're ready to close a chapter.I don't know exactly what's next for me.And I don't need to know yet.

Maybe clarity isn't always something we find by thinking harder. Maybe sometimes we have to make room for it.

XO,

Andrea