When life forces a hard reset
This past Wednesday started like any other evening—my toddler and I were picking up crafting supplies, living that normal life rhythm we all know so well. But sometimes, life has other plans…
As we left the store, I noticed something off about the sky. Growing up in the Midwest, I’m no stranger to storms. We’d heard mentions of possible thunderstorms, but this… this was different.
Just five minutes after we made it home—five minutes—the hail started. What began as an excited “Wow, come look!” quickly turned into “We need to take shelter.” Then came the crash. Our massive oak tree had fallen close to our house.
In moments like these, all your carefully laid plans evaporate. The solar panels and batteries we’d installed after Austin’s devastating winter storm three years ago? Damaged. The business momentum I’d been building? Paused. For five days, we had no power, flooding in two rooms, and a stark reminder of how quickly everything can change.
As an entrepreneur, my mind kept trying to drift to work concerns—the momentum I’d lose, the income impact, the projects now on hold. But reality had other priorities. With a toddler and two dogs to care for, survival mode kicked in. Business strategy had to take a backseat to basic needs.
Here’s what I learned (or rather, re-learned):
- Sometimes our best preparations fail—and that’s okay
- When life forces a reset, fighting it only adds to the struggle
- The most important things become crystal clear in a crisis
- Accepting help isn’t just okay—it’s essential
Our neighborhood came together, just like it did three years ago. And while this isn’t the kind of business lesson I planned to share this week, maybe it’s exactly what we all need to hear:
Life will occasionally force us to stop. To reset. To remember what truly matters. And in those moments, our greatest strength isn’t in our careful preparations or our ability to keep pushing forward—it’s in our willingness to be human, to accept help, and to trust that the momentum will return.
Because it always does.
