“Wrong Turn O.K.”
~ A sign at Toon Town in Disneyland
What this means to women entrepreneurs:
I’ve taken many a wrong turn in my life, but I’ve still come out OK. What I’ve learned is that circumstances, decisions, and experiences that seem to occur because of a “wrong turn” often turn out to be exactly what you need to experience in order to become the person you are today.
For example, I’ve made bad choices in my dating life. And those bad choices became increasingly bad until I had to break up with a boyfriend by cop. However, all those bad choices taught me lessons. When I finally woke up and did the work I needed to do to no longer attract that kind of man, my fianceé came into my life. And he is totally different!
Another example: Since I started my business it has had many, many faces. I started out being a writer, morphed into a gift consultant, morphed into a Mary Kay consultant, morphed into a web designer, and am in the process of returning to my true love, writing. All those various, practically unrelated experiences could be viewed as wrong turns. However, I’ve found that they give my writing a deeper resonance, and I now have skills I can apply to a new project that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t veered off in tangential directions.
What am I getting here? Don’t beat yourself up for taking “wrong turns.” You never know when those seeming missteps turn out to be valuable learning opportunities.
Do you agree with my interpretation of today’s quote? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on wrong turns in life? Do you have tips for helping people manage or deal with their own wrong turns? Please share your ideas, experiences, and sage wisdom in a comment below.
Did you notice I slipped the term “fianceé” in there? Yep, I’m engaged! My boyfriend proposed on my birthday, but I had to keep it mum until relatives were notified. Wouldn’t want them to learn about this momentous news through social media!
Anyway, it was terribly romantic. After surprising me with a trip to Disneyland for my birthday, he took me to the Snow White’s Wishing Well, gave me a penny, and told me to close my eyes and make a wish. He was *really* insistent that my eyes be closed.
When I turned around, he said, “Now I’ll make a wish.”
He got on one knee, presented a beautiful box with a ring in it, and asked me to marry him.
My response?
“Seriously? Seriously? Really? Seriously?”
Then I heard someone say, “My God! He’s proposing to her!”
This got me to blurt out, “Of course!” … which wasn’t good enough. He stayed on his knee until I eventually I got the “Yes!” out.
Afterward, we were kissing in the shade by the well when a Disney cast member asked us to move because we were standing where Princess Aurora was going to resume taking photos. I told her he had just proposed and showed her the ring. The cast members burst out into squealing. Then Aurora asked us if we wanted a picture of her. Who’s to say “no” to a princess? That’s why we have a picture of her.
The first three pictures were taken by a witness, who generously emailed them to us.
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