If you are my age, you will remember the song  ‘The Beat Goes On” by Sonny and Cher. That song was sung at Sonny Bono’s funeral and I believe the phrase appears on his tombstone. I was thinking a lot about that phrase a few weeks ago. Not to mention I love the song! Anyway, I had just completed an amazing project outside of the U.S. and it was a pretty big deal for my consulting company and team. I should have been on an all time high. But as life goes, I was hit with some snags, unrelated to the event, literally the next day. Nothing major, but just enough to cause some self doubt about my decisions. It was just enough to make me take pause to my direction and even question my support system. Was I taking both of my businesses in the right direction? Did I have the right people on my team? Was I doing the right thing for my team?

Those who know me, are aware that I am  pretty much, for lack of a better phrase, a glass half full kind of girl. I cant remember when I had self doubt. I just simply do not allow it in my life. I move forward. I may hit some obstacles on my journey but I keep going. So it was strange for me to have this moment of question. And then I though about all the reasons “WHY” I do what I do, and I knew at that moment I had to continue to forge ahead and not second guess my actions and decisions.

So, I find that phrase  ” The Beat Goes On” very appropriate from time to time for people like me who work for themselves.  And if you sing it, it really puts you in a good mood! Because, we may be smiling on the outside, but that doesn’t mean everything is always hunky dory on the inside. People like me know how to ‘fake it till we make it’ because we  are either expected to always be ‘on’ or we  are trying to be strong for other people. Sometimes we are putting up a great front for people who look up to us or rely on us for work. Sometimes we are putting on a great show for potential  new business. And lord knows it can be exhausting at times. Those days can feel like there is nothing left to give when I get home to my family!

So I am here to tell you, when the  doubts may seem to overpower the validation, or the road traveled is getting a little rocky, those are the days we must remember most that  ‘The Beat Does Go On.” Life doesn’t stop because we had a set back, or a failure …it continues.  And it will be great again. And the if you look around at life in general you will find that your little snag is probably nothing compared to someone else who has hit some hard knocks. People are losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing loved ones, having  their spouses deployed for months…..and your little snag, or failure….that is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The difference between those of us who make the long journey  and have success versus others who turn back and make excuses for their failures, is remembering things like the phrase…The Beat Goes On… or just digging deep down and remembering your  WHY.

Don’t let a failure, a set back or even a friend cause  you self-doubt. Don’t let someone allow you to second guess your vision.  You set out on a journey to be your own boss for a reason. It took amazing courage.  You are not perfect. There will be failures. There will be set backs.  But there will be wins. These are opportunities for improvement.  These are the learning moments that make us better.

“And the beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da”