REVOLVED CRESCENT LUNGEFor nearly four years I have been living off my
savings and hoping and praying that my yoga-
clothing company will take off. I dream the busi-
ness. I breathe it. I live it. I’m involved with every
single aspect, including design, brand- building,
sales and marketing, and financial operations.
In my previous job, I was the assistant trea-
surer at a $28 billion hedge fund, had an incred-
ible amount of resources at my disposal, and was
surrounded by extremely talented and smart
people. Time was money, and I had to make deci-
sions quickly. I couldn’t show weakness. In fact,
one of my biggest fears about running my own
company was that I would trust the wrong peo-
ple and it would backfire.
But I have come to realize that vulnerability
is an amazing tool in business. People don’t talk
about it much, but it is true.
Early on, my partner and I realized that a sup-
plier I had hired was dishonest. I felt betrayed
and ashamed. There were other big stresses
weighing heavily on my shoulders, too, and at the
height of it all one afternoon I decided to break
away from my laptop and take a yoga class.
Toward the end of class, I just broke down. I
realized how hard it was for me to be vulnerable.
But I also remember feeling the walls that had
been crowding in on me beginning to release. I
could look at my situation from a different per-
spective. It was as clear as day that I could han-
dle the problem of our dishonest supplier. I could
move forward, using the wisdom I’d gained from
making that mistake. And most importantly, I
understood that I had to be a lot more compas-
sionate with myself.
The reality is, if you think people are out to
deceive you, then you will manifest that energy,
and it will come into your life over and over
again. To live the life you want and deserve, you
have to trust other people. This trusting-and-
letting-go thing is a muscle I have to constantly
exercise. But it starts with giving myself permis-
sion to be vulnerable, and that realization came
to me through yoga.