_When I was a child, I often organized my brothers and sisters to perform plays for our relatives. We’d sing and dance, and tumble like acrobats. I dreamed of someday becoming a great singer — but my vocal chords did not share that dream! And while I was a good athlete, I was no Mary Lou Retton. I have always been captivated by gymnasts — those nimble, strong athletes dancing their way across a balance beam. Perhaps because I grew up in the television age when we could see world class gymnasts performing live, my dreams have always taken me to a place of movement, grace and balance.

Growing up, I was enthralled by graceful dances and gymnastic routines. I envied those athletes who combined physical and emotional strength, poise, flexibility and mental discipline. In more recent times, those skills are combined in breakdancing — that high-energy contortionism that looks like a combination of dancing and what your body does when you hit a patch of ice on a ski slope.

Looking back, it’s clear that I was not destined to become either a dancer or a gymnast. Instead, my life’s journey took me on a different path. After a tour through several careers that just weren’t good matches with who I am, I took to the road of entrepreneurship… “and that has made all the difference”  (to quote Robert Frost). I discovered my true passion: running my own business.

Now that I’m older, more experienced and, I hope, a bit wiser, I think that my childhood dreams were preparation for all the ups and downs that life as a business owner throws at you. I have learned a lot and wanted to share what I learned. So I started writing a monthly newsletter — both as a way to share my experiences so others could learn from them without going through them and (practically speaking) as a way to keep in touch with my clients. What I didn’t expect was that writing would become something I looked forward to each month. Plus, my clients started telling me how much they enjoyed reading them. I hope these newsletters will become a legacy — for my grandchildren and those I might have touched in some way over the years.