Signs, schmigns. How do you read them?

I was nonchalantly walking down the street in town when I spotted it: yet another abandoned mask on the sidewalk. As I drew closer, I thought, "How funny, that's the same signature blue color of my JMT Speaks mask." Then I realized: it was my JMT Speaks mask! <GASP!>

I was somewhat horrified as I stared down at the dirty, abandoned mask at my feet. I bent down, hesitant to pick it up. My mind started calculating. When was the last time I had been in this spot?! I cringed when I realized it had been five days. FIVE DAYS?! Eek! We'd had torrential rain and tons of wind. The mask was literally worse for the wear.

My next immediate thought? "Is this some sort of sign?!" I mean, it is not like me to lose things and I hadn't even realized the mask was missing. Agh! Was this a sign that I wasn't paying enough attention to my business? Oh geez. And what about the fact that it was lying on the sidewalk for days with people walking by, stepping on it or not noticing it? Does that mean I'm putting myself out there in vain?

SCREEEEECH!!! Time to hit the brakes.

I picked up the mask, pinching it carefully between my thumb and forefinger. I stood up, squared my shoulders, and brought it back to my car (where I quite literally dusted myself off, including with a ton of hand sanitizer). I put my chin up and told myself to STOP the negative self-talk. Signs, schmigns. I realized that if I'm going to believe in signs, I likewise must believe in my power to read them. After all, we have the choice whether and how to interpret those signs. And it was time for a new perspective.

I put aside the perspective about the "sign" being "Jenn is a bad entrepreneur." I turned that perspective on its head and told myself my mask had survived five days in the elements! It was resilient and patiently waiting for me right where I left (ahem, dropped) it. With a little TLC (and a whole lot of Lysol detergent), it would be as good as new. I likened this to the days when I can't tend to the business like I wanted because there are only so many hours available. And sometimes that's a few days in a row. However, JMT Speaks, like my logo mask, is always here when I'm ready to pick it up and nurture it (literally and figuratively). It survives without my attention those days -- and people certainly still see and consume it.

Not to mention, there's always the perspective that it is what it is. I wore the mask; I dropped it; I forgot about it; and lo and behold, I found it again right where I left. Nothing more, nothing less.

The takeaway? We get to pick whether and how we read signs. On a bad day, we're likely to interpret them as omens. On a good day, we're likely to interpret them like positive reassurances or nudges in the right direction.

So as you start your day, I wonder if you'll see signs, and if so, how you'll decide to read them. Have a good one!

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