By Wendy Strgar

“Courage is as often the outcome of despair as of hope; in the one case we have nothing to lose, in the other, everything to gain.”  -Diane de Pointers

There have only been only a handful of times in the journey of growing my business that I have come up against a wall where the choice of despair or hope in moving forward was the only one there was to make.  Today was one of those days.  Between the ongoing search for right leadership in the business and the mounting costs of investing in a future that has yet to materialize, choosing how to define success on my own terms is an act of bold courage.

There is an extraordinary sense of freedom that comes with this courage to not let the outer circumstances and the voices of doubt be your guides. This courage is almost like a surrender, which encompasses both the despairing recognition that there is really nothing to lose and the hopeful aspiration that there is still everything to gain.  It generates the most potent prayer,  that the highest good we can offer ourselves will be served.

Making a positive experience out of the most challenging of circumstances is how we learn resilience.  At once trusting one’s own fortitude to stretch beyond one’s own limits and knowing that whatever the outcome one will be able to walk away proud of the strength, clarity and heart brought to the interaction is a lasting measure of success.  Too often, these measures are diminished by our dedication to the bottom line, which has compromised many a soul’s journey.

Although my vision of success includes millions of bottles of our love products readily available at a drugstore near everyone, I cannot measure my daily success against this vision.  Product distribution  in this country has become one of the single largest markers of the haves and have-nots.  Finding a way into the minds and hearts of consumers is still possible, but it takes patience, persistence and ingenuity.  Fortunately, these are all qualities that Good Clean Love teaches about love and relationships, as well.

Staying true to our own teachings as we grow is the key to authentic brands; the kind that people really want because they reflect a real story that comes from the heart.  Everyday we see evidence of this slow organic build that comes from pouring love into the world at every opportunity we get. It is the most profitable endeavor in which I can engage.

I surrender again to love- to let my despair and hope coexist peacefully and to keep returning to the chance to try again the next day.

Wendy is the founder and CEO of Good Clean Love, a woman-owned company whose mission is to improve the experience of love in the world. Good Clean Love specializes in all-natural, organic intimacy products with no petro-chemical or parabens. Strgar also contributes to green sites such as Care2, Green Girls, and Elephant Journal.