Courage

(2 minute read.)

Diana Caruso is our guest blogger today. In this post she shares with us the importance of commitment to others during the Covid-19 pandemic and what courage means to her.

In her own words …

DISCLAIMER – I want to start with proclaiming something straight up …

I hope I have the courage to continually be willing to chase the YET! Even though I am completely and utterly aware that I will never arrive and I’m completely fine with that. You see, aspiring to reach the “yet” is what allows me to keep growing, it wakes me up in the morning and allows me to jump out of bed, it acts as an anchor to remind me to always be willing to rise to a new level no matter what stage of my life I am at.

Hello, my name is Diana Caruso, and I am a mother of two amazing children, Zara 8 and Cruz 6. A wife to my high school sweetheart, Domenic, from the tender age of 16, who also just happens to be my business partner. Together, we own St Rose, No 19 and new to the portfolio along with a business partner, Nic, Bowls Baby and Peoples Coffee.

Hospitality was hit pretty hard with the onset of Covid 19, and we learnt pretty quickly that we needed to remain fluid, just as water would, agile and ready to adapt whenever we would need too. Our culture has always been about the people and the pandemic exposed all businesses that didn’t operate from this space. For us, it just strengthened what we already had always pledged, we look after ‘the people’ and in turn ‘the people’ look after us. We promised to do whatever it took to keep everyone in a job and that commitment allowed us to pivot, pivot and pivot all over again ten times over.

You see, aspiring to reach the “yet” is what allows me to keep growing …

Over the years I have come to the realisation that every mistake you make will teach you something in life. You need to learn to love your struggles, the satisfaction of success doesn’t come from achieving your goals, it comes from overcoming the struggle. It’s always the journey.

So here are my truths:

Pain + Reflection = Progress.
Don’t let fears of what other people think of you stand in your way.
Understand your ego barrier; knowing that you are not going to be good at everything, accept that and employ people that are good at what you are not. That’s smart. The end.
Prioritise. Choose a goal. Do the things that help you get what you want.
Having courage to follow your pursuit will always be worth it.
There is always a way, even if you don’t see it yet.
Painful problems are almost always opportunities when we allow them to be.
Ego and blind spots keep you from becoming who you are truly meant to be.
There are two versions of you. Higher level you and lower level you. You choose which one you feed every day.

In short, I believe courage to be a lot of things.

Courage is refusing to be a victim. Courage is waking up in the morning and going again and again and again. Courage is showing up for you staff. Courage is showing up for your community. Courage is allowing your children to see the world is tough. Courage is showing people you fail and still try again. Courage is vulnerability. Courage is working on yourself every day. Courage is deciding to actually try. Courage is realising it’s up to you. Courage is starting today. Courage is feeling the pain. Courage is embracing the doubt. Courage is accepting the pain. Courage is letting go. Courage is believing in you.

Stay strong, Diana

Having courage to follow your pursuit will always be worth it.

You can connect with Diana in a number of ways; perhaps pop into the warmth of one of her cafes:

A good friend, Marnie, e-introduced me to Diana during the Melbourne Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020. Marnie was motivated by Diana’s commitment to community and the courage that she demonstrates. I’m grateful for the introduction and to share Diana’s thoughts about courage here.

@CourageChick