Leadership, Mindfulness, and Taking the Leap with Whitney Lee
Updated: Sep 6, 2022
Whitney Lee is the epitome of a boss--this public relations and social media business owner not only mastered the art of running her own company, but has also become a master of mindfulness. Whitney calls herself the “accidental entrepreneur,” because she developed and cultivated her passion and knowledge for social media while she was employed full-time as a director in the corporate sector. Whitney was moving up the ranks quick, and found herself with a director-level title at the age of 25. Despite her success, she felt the urge to do more and learn more, so she started taking on side projects in social media marketing and management. Once she started, there was this ever present voice in her head telling her that she had found her passion and that it was time to go off on her own and turn it into a fully-fledged business. Despite being comfortable in her well-paying job and generally risk averse, Whitney took the leap and has been flying ever since founding her company, SocialLee. Her journey has been full of lessons in life, business, and leadership. Here’s some of the wisdom she’s gained along the way:
When you’re doing what you love, your passion and purpose will follow. When you’re caught up with work, it can be difficult to find time to develop your interests or engage in your hobbies. Don’t fall into this trap! When you make time to do the things you love, they pave the way to new opportunities. This is actually how Whitney started her own company, Social Lee.
Not everyone is going to validate your goals. When you value someone’s opinion, you can feel crushed when they don’t agree with or support your dream. That’s why you’ll simply have to have faith in yourself and your abilities and trust that you’re on the right track.
Sometimes you just have to rip the band-aid off. You don’t know whether or not you can fly until you jump out of the nest. It’s human to want to wait for the right time, but the fact is, there’s always going to be an excuse as to why now is not the right time. When in doubt, remember that it’s always time to pursue your dreams.
It’s important to understand what success looks and feels like to you on a personal level. When you aren’t clear about what you want, you can fall into the trap of chasing any and everything that looks good in the moment. When you know exactly what you want, you are able to focus on making it a reality. One key consideration is to go beyond what success looks like, but also how it makes you feel. It’s easy to fall into the trap of having material wealth without inner peace, and you definitely don’t want that!
The more you let go, the more things just come to you. We’re hard-wired to think that we have to work more to get more, but if you take a break you allow the universe to go to work for you. Hustle mentality is burnout mentality, but if you can maintain a healthy pace and exist in flow, you’ll notice changes happening around you and for you.
To stay on track, you’re going to need to set hard boundaries. Boundaries look different for all of us. For some it’s setting a schedule for work hours, for others it’s limiting screen time or putting your phone on Do Not Disturb. Take a step back and look at what (or who) tends to distract you from your daily goals, and limit the time you spend on it.
Your to-do list should be a useful guide to your day, not a source of anxiety. This is for all you overachievers out there. When you pile too many things on your daily to-do list, it can go from being a tool to keep you on track to an unrealistic goal that actually demotivates you. It’s time to get real about what you can accomplish in a single day, and know that it’s okay to leave some things for tomorrow. To do this, create a list of three high priority things you’d like to accomplish. This way, when you check something off you can feel good about what you’ve done rather than bad about all the other tasks still ahead of you.
A mindful morning can keep you motivated throughout the day. Whitney begins her day with a cup of coffee, transcendental meditation, a daily devotional, a prayer, manifestation, and journaling. This practice helps her be intentional about her day, and envision exactly what it means for her to be successful and happy for the next 24 hours.
Sometimes you have to just go with it. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. It’s easy to get in the way of our own success by listening to the negative voice in our heads, but what if you drowned that voice out? What if instead of succumbing to fear and feelings of inferiority, you did that thing that scared you, and what if...you were actually good at it? You won’t know unless you try.
You are your bestseller. If you’re an entrepreneur it can be easy to hide behind your brand or your work. However, in today’s world people crave human connection. Consumers want to see your face and want to know your story. Your voice and your journey are valuable and will make an impact if you give them room to do so.
Want to work with Whitney and her awesome SocialLee team? Check them out here.
