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I did it. I bit the bullet and as of January 26, 2022, Taharima Habib Consulting is a registered Canadian business!
The road to this decision was shaky, there were a lot of fears, tears, which thankfully led to an abundance of cheers. Here is how it all went down.
I have always had a fierce relationship with certainties and routine. But when the time came to move on from my non-profit job last fall, I was psyching myself up to welcome the uncertainties ahead. I hadn’t planned the next few months when I decided to quit my job, which is very an uncharacteristic thing for me to do. However, I trusted that I would be okay and find my footing eventually.
The fear of not having something to land on as I leapt off a boat I knew so well was constantly surfacing for the first month after I quit. But honestly, not landing anywhere also gave me the freedom to swim and get familiar with the waters before I was ready and able to find my way to a new shore. I began writing, talking to former colleagues, connecting with neighbours and trying so many new creative hobbies. I built a new routine that gave me the space to be scared, to cry when I needed to unravel the knots in my chest and to rest.
I must have asked myself “What is my next step?” a million times from October to December 2021. For 3 months, when I wasn’t looking for a part-time non-profit job, my free time went into writing articles, talking to people from different organisations, and obtaining my certification in Associate Project Management (CAPM). Soon enough, I was picking up contracts that really showcased my abilities in management, communications, leadership and design. Was the imposter syndrome sometimes slipping into the foreground of my brain?
Yes, definitely. And I thanked it.
Wait, you did what? I know, I know, just bear with me.
I thanked that thought distortion because it was trying to protect me from possible hurt and disappointment, but it was also driving me to prove to myself that this is happening, these clients want my perspectives on their work and they care about my approach to their work. I started to reevaluate how to measure my progress, my success and my recent growth and discover so many ways I need to be kinder to myself to make this work.
By January of 2022, I had enough traction and projects on hand to think about doing this consulting thing for real. I worked so hard in my communities and built such a vibrant network of peers, I was ready to take the plunge again. We popped the bubbly and I registered my business under my name, and I didn’t miss a beat to start designing, researching and putting together my service offerings that would deliver structures to organisations and board of directors to maximise their impact on their audience and communities.
It’s been a really fun ride, a lot of highs, and quite a few lows, but it has been exhilarating to build something of my own. I can’t thank my partner enough for all his support and his unwavering faith in my ambition and talents.
I can’t wait to launch the website that is the fruit of our joint labour! I hope you’ll follow along to see what change we’ll be creating, one contract at a time.