Letting Go
On a recent trip to Cyrpus, I was sitting with the girls waiting patiently for our lunch to arrive after a morning baking in the sun. As soon as it arrived, the girls and myself included whipped out our phones faster than you can imagine and started framing our lunch for our instagram accounts. Amidst the chaos of the iphones I waited till everyone was finished before starting to eat. What ever happened to enjoying the moment? Eating as soon as the plate lands on the table? Chatting to each other over dinner instead of peering into other people’s lives via social media. Trying to embrace the moment that I am living in is truly challenging in times of distraction.
It is easy to forget to let go. I have come across many people in the past few months, hardworking as they are that don’t allow themselves to relax our reward themselves with a trip. But actually learning to switch off, slowing down, rewarding yourself to live the moment fuels you for the days ahead.
Letting go in the moment has become a bigger challenge for me personally in this specific period of my life. I have had a few offers to sell part of my companies both Sketchbook and Obai and Hill. And in the past I have written about my struggles dealing with investors. But now as the days are closing in for me to sign up half of my second baby, Agency Obai and Hill, I find myself relaxed, happy, and calm as hell.
It wasn’t easy, giving up a chunk of the company that I founded, conceived, nurtured and watched grow for the past 3 years. At the beginning I was very open to the idea of investment, but when push came to shove I watched as my financial advisor started to evaluate my work, peer over my numbers, my employee salaries, and pricing me and what I own like a product I felt vulnerable and grumpy, and very frustrated at the concept of giving up power.
At a meeting I was sitting wedged in between my investor and my financial advisor as they negotiated my term sheet, they bantered back and forth as I listened and wrapped everything up. When it came for me to give the go ahead I was still a little antsy and I found my advisor saying to me, ‘You are too attached Wafa.’
I had a moment where I felt like a newly wed jealous Khaleeji husband, attached to my wife, not allowing her to roam free, visualizing myself as a block between her and the rest of the world. Or even a parent who doesn’t allow their children to travel abroad, choosing to have them close so they can watch over them and protect them. Not understanding that they have put themselves first over the natural progression of their children.
I refuse to be a cliche entrepreneur, one that is so attached to their business that in the right time refuse to give it away to another for it grow or take its own course. I meet parents on a daily basis that talk over their children, not allowing them to express their opinions or create their own identity.
And as a entrperuner my job is too launch my cpncepts and move on to the next, carefully entrusting it with the hands of partners and investors for it to grow.
Since I made my decesion I felt a wave of relief goign gover me. I have secured the logivtivyt of my business and the security of my employees. It is a very exciting path that comes before us, we will be entrusted with three of the largest accounts of my business and have allowed room for growth and seniors to join my team. And like a proud enterpeneru I find myself at the graduation ceeremony of Obai and Hill, proud of how far we have come and looking forward to see where we end up 5 years from now.