I stepped down as CEO of my edtech start-up.
I walked away just as we were starting to hit traction.
I had fallen out of love with what I was doing, I didn’t have the insights required to take it to the next level and I really needed to reconnect with my passions.
When I returned to work in the first company I founded, Art of Smart Education, it felt like I was finally pursuing my mission to help students successfully make the challenging transition from school to career.
But I hadn’t really owned this mission.
I had a chip on my shoulder that what I was doing wasn’t prestigious enough. Wasn’t significant enough. Wasn’t ‘cool’ enough.
And then a friend said something that stuck with me:
“You get to help people with one of the biggest, most influential decisions in their life. I wish I could impact someone’s life in that way.”
It’s all a matter of focus.
Do I focus on what I think people might think about who I am? Or do I focus on what fulfils me and the difference I can make in someone else’s life?
I chose the latter.
And as soon as I gave myself permission to do me, and own my mission, our progress in supporting students at Art of Smart accelerated.
