August 2005 had been a good month for me, as I marked 10 years in business. All month long, the mood was festive and upbeat, and I was pleased at how well the business was going and excited regarding the future. But suddenly, my entire world was turned upside below and inside out when the massive storm struck and did its horrible damage. On the day Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, I was supposed to be filming my 2nd exercise DVD in New Orleans - but the only filming done that day was by the news media, recording the Katrina disaster as it grew ever more ominous and life-threatening. My family and I were safe, possessing evacuated to my high school physics Florida.
But we were filled with fear and anxiety about what was going to happen to our home, and to homes of our friends. we wondered if we were even going to hold a home to leave return to. From Florida, we headed for Houston, where my husband's job called him. We stayed in Houston for one month, during which time I could not even locate out about - many fewer do anything about -- my business, which I feared may leave below with so many other hopes, dreams and physical properties return home. When we were can return, finally, we were relieved and grateful to learn that we only wanted to have our roof replaced and simple up some minor inside damage.
The home front was going to be all right -- but my business wasn't faring as well. Everyone's top priority was to take like of our properties and to help others who were struggling. With all the trees below and dangerous, filthy debris everywhere, there was no method to even take a brisk walk to help shake off the blues. All any of us should do, day subsequent to endless day, was to work at cleaning up the unbelievable mess. My son's college reopened, so he was gone all day.
my husband was still in Houston. and I was trapped in a nightmare where each effort I created to move forward was met with a resounding No way! I did display up at my studio, but it was wasted effort, since I was usually the only one there. My clients did not have the time, the life or the motivation to hold up with their workouts during this troubled time. I was frustrated beyond words, and depression began to settle in and drag me below into its numbing clutches. but I also am very stubborn when I trust in what I'm doing.
and my belief in my business was strong. There basically was no method I was going to let it leave below without a fight. With my family's blessing, I began to take cash out of our home funds to pay rent and bills for the business. Thankfully, they shared my belief that sometime within the near future things should be salvaged, turned around and should get better. but there was no other choice, other than the unacceptable two of seeing my business fall apart, fail and disappear.
and I am one stubborn businesswoman when the cause is just and failure unacceptable. One day I just set aside the mop, the broom, the buckets for debris, the work gloves and the stained, tattered coveralls, and decided that is all the cleaning up I was going to do. If the carpets stayed muddy for a while longer, well, that wasn't going to be the end regarding the world. But thinking about losing my business felt like exactly that - and I basically wasn't going to have it. First, I decided to leave over the script that I had planned to use for the 2nd DVD, editing it and revising it to be a tighter presentation.
That exercise refreshed my focus and sense of purpose for the business and I was inspired to take it to next position of intensity, writing another script called focused on an alternate kind of exercise. That writing went very quickly, as well, as plans - long shelved in favor regarding the more immediate demands of hurricane simple up - burst through to my consciousness. Subsequent to that, I wrote a script for the next level. and subsequent to that, I began to pull together thoughts and exercises for an aerobic DVD. Suddenly, from someone below within the dumps, battling depression and a growing sense of futility, I was a home afire once again, with renewed purpose and direction.
with no clients coming to studio, with everyone's spirits at fewest badly bruised, if not crushed, how was that going to happen? And where should the funds return from to pay for the filming? Not ever mind. The disruption of daily life should end, some day. people should return to more normal routines. and when the time was right I should already have scripts written for whole new set of exercise DVDs. One day my son came home from college together with the news that his press instructor had provided the okay to film at his school, saying it should be a good project for the children to work on.
I certainly wasn't expecting a professional result from the kids, but was nevertheless grateful for the release and thought that at the very least, it should let me to do a practice sprint through. 3 weeks later we started to film, and the position of professionalism these students should deliver was stunning. The result was so good, in fact, that I grow to a mentor for the Fontainebleau High College Press Program and they agreed to film all the DVDs I had written. This was good skills development for them and a huge break for me. Between the months of January and Shall 2006 we were can film 5 DVDs plus a redo of our original DVD.
To thank the school, I now release them a percentage of each video sold to help help the press center. I wanted to tell this story to display that while Katrina was a devastating event, with a profound and horrible impact on many lives, it also ignited the spark of all that is greatest in humankind. spirits that will not be smothered, hopes that will not be destroyed, determination that shall guarantee triumph, and the pretty symbiosis of people working together for the greatest interests of all. My business thrives again, today. and the Press Program at Fontainebleau High College thrives, as well.
And the healing and growth continue.
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