My bio on everything having to do with this blog references the fact that I am a small business owner. I have referred to my work from time to time, but I have never mentioned my business by name. Today, that changes.

Why? Because today WardComm Public Relations announced this month marks 10 years since its launch. Because today my business publicized it will celebrate its 10^th anniversary by awarding a custom-tailored public relations/marketing services package (valued at $5,000) to a new, Connecticut-based woman-owned small business or woman-founded local nonprofit organization. Because today I celebrate a lot more than just 10 years in business.

When it comes to the business, I don’t do a lot of self-promotion. So, this announcement is a little bit out of character for me. Writing about it here is considerably beyond the edges of my comfort zone as I have worked hard not to link the business me to the recovery me. This morning, I realized how dumb that is. My business enabled my alcoholism. My sobriety saved my business. This is part of my story. This is who I am.

Without sobriety I wouldn’t be celebrating 10 years in business. Of that I am 100 percent certain. Because in recovery I have become even better at my job. Every single lesson I have learned in my endeavor to remain sober, along with every single self-care tool I have acquired, has also served me professionally, presenting me with opportunity after opportunity. And, because I am no longer drowning in booze, I’ve been able to capitalize on them.

So, when I am not sharing my story of alcohol addiction and recovery, I am busy making a living telling other people’s stories. In fact, I spend more time on theirs than mine. Gotta pay the bills, right? I love it, though. I am so truly blessed.

Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. ~Harvey Mackay

Ten years is a milestone I have to convince myself I have earned, that I deserve. It is huge in its own right. It is even bigger for me given the fact I built the business while simultaneously sabotaging it as I spiraled into the depths of alcohol addiction.

Getting sober saved me. And, it breathed new life into my business. Getting sober allowed me to find who I really am. And, it allowed me to become the professional I was meant to be. Today, I am so much better at what I do than I ever was. I have a confidence that didn’t exist three years ago, or ever. I spent the better part of 20 years thinking I was terrible at my job and wasn’t worthy of fair compensation for my expertise. Sobriety has shown me I couldn’t have been more wrong. And, that makes 10 years taste so very much sweeter.