Should I Do It?
“Well honey, I think you’ll just have to!”
I will never forget Lois Hole’s words to me. I was about to dive off the bridge called comfy and do what I knew my heart was telling me to do.
In order to move forward in our business, Ron and I would need to secure everything we owned with the bank. With six kids still at home, this was a big decision, to put it lightly. Leaving the familiar was causing me to second-guess everything. I was scared stiff. Was it the right decision? Was my heart right?
I laid out all the years’ worth of work I had done in front of Lois and asked, “Should I do it?” After listening carefully to how we had prepared for our big leap, and meticulously reviewing all the materials, her answer was poignant and simple, “Well honey, I think you’ll just have to!” That was it.
Lois was around 70 at the time. She was the chancellor of the local university, had become Governor-General, and was a multi-millionaire. She donated her time and money to the arts and engaging kids in reading. She was down-to-earth and respected by all. Oh yes… did I mention she began her business selling potatoes on the side of the road at age 40?
Her book I’ll Never Marry a Farmer is a lesson about what to do when your heart just knows something is right. Her stories and anecdotes about gardening and life’s lessons inspire! All Lois Hole knew was that selling potatoes on the side of the road made her happy. She loved growing things and she loved people. By listening to her heart instead of doing what was expected, she grew a seasonal potato-selling business into one of the largest and most successful greenhouse operations in North America.
With my own success as a meal-planner, I discovered that it was OK to be scared stiff. If we all haphazardly followed our heart without being prepared, most businesses would flat-out fail. Some of the best lifelong decisions will come by accepting that healthy fear is part of listening to your heart. They can (and do) co-exist.
You might find that following your heart allows you to think more clearly and work harder than before because your body and mind seem in sync. When you are ready to jump off your comfy bridge, you may be surprised how a busy, successful mentor will give up their time to help, support, and advise you. I know that Lois’s words of wisdom will live in my heart forever!
Sandi Richard is considered by many to be North America’s leading meal planning expert. She is the three-time award-winning creator and host of Fixing Dinner on Food Network Canada, American Life TV and Discovery Asia. She is an International Bestselling author of six life-changing books in her Cooking for the Rushed series. In addition to being a regular on CBC radio, Sandi has been a featured guest on Food Network U.S. and a repeat guest on NBC’s Today Show. Sandi is the mother of seven children, and when eating became the enemy in her house she began searching for solutions. That was two decades ago and she never looked back.
