Six Things The Goochland Restaurant Has Taught Me
When people think of a restaurant, they think about food. Over time, The Goochland Restaurant has become far more than that for me. It has become a place where God has shaped me and taught me lessons I didn’t know I needed.
1. Failure Is a Foundation
It’s okay to fail. My heart has learned to delight in moments wrapped in failure because they provide a foundation I can clearly see and build upon. In the shattering of an expectation, I am often on the verge of leveling up in a way that would not have been possible without the roadblock. Even if I move forward by only 1%, that’s still progress.
I’ve had ideas that didn’t work, days that didn’t go as planned, and moments when I questioned myself. Failure has never been the enemy. Pride is. Failure has taught me to get back up, keep learning, and trust that God’s grace is bigger than my mistakes.
2. The Shoelace Principle
I choose each day to step completely out of my comfort zone. I call this the “Shoelace Principle.” It is a reminder that some of life’s greatest opportunities begin when I step outside my comfort zone. When I do, I am pushed to connect with others, build relationships, and create a team that never would have existed if I had stayed comfortable.
When I was a little girl, I was convinced I could not tie my shoes. My mother was exasperated that her five-year-old daughter could not, or would not, learn to tie them. One day, she shared her weary woes with my grandmomma. My grandmomma replied that I did not need to know how to tie my shoes because I had the manners to ask someone for help.
At a very young age, my grandmomma taught me a lesson that I still carry with me today. Asking for help is not a weakness. It is an opportunity to connect with others. It requires humility, courage, and trust. There have been countless times, sometimes daily, when I have felt unqualified, unsure, and over my head. But I have learned that God rarely calls us to comfortable places. He calls us to trust Him. Growth happens when we take the next step, even with shaky knees and untied shoes.
3. Run My Own Race
Comparison is the thief of joy. I have always found joy in encouraging others and celebrating their success. Their victories have never taken away from mine. However, there have been times when I looked at what others were doing and questioned whether I was doing enough or moving fast enough.
Over time, I realized that I was never called to be like every other restaurant. My role was to be faithful with what God placed in my hands. His plans for me do not have to look like His plans for someone else.
Every business has a different story. Each person carries a unique calling. What works for one may not work for another. When I stay in my lane, I find peace, purpose, and joy in the journey. My focus is not to keep up with everyone else. It is to faithfully steward what God has entrusted to me and trust Him with the outcome.
4. Waiting Is Not Wasted
Waiting has never been easy for me. I like to solve problems, make plans, and keep moving forward. Yet some of the most important lessons in my life and business have come during seasons when there was nothing left to do but wait.
I have learned I will never have all the answers. Most days, I’m learning as I go. And maybe that’s exactly where God wants me, fully dependent on Him instead of myself. Waiting has taught me that not every door needs to be forced open. Not every question needs an immediate answer. Sometimes God is doing His greatest work in the preparation, long before I can see the outcome.
Learning that I will never have the ability to know everything has kept me humble, reminded me to listen, and shown me that I don’t have to carry this alone. The waiting seasons have taught me to seek wise counsel, pay attention, and trust God’s timing over my own.
Looking back, I can see that many of the things I once prayed would happen quickly required time to develop. I now use the waiting to grow. Growth does not only happen when I am moving. Most of the time, it happens while I am waiting, trusting, and learning to be faithful right where I am.
5. Joy Is New Every Morning
If you truly know me, you know I often wake up ready for the day, and most days I hop out of bed with excitement. I am eager to begin the moment my eyes open. On the rare occasions when the weight of caring for the team, the community, and my responsibilities feels heavy, I begin the day with a different posture, a sense of trepidation I cannot fully explain.
Regardless of what is happening around me, each day begins the same way. Before the sun comes up, I whisper, and sometimes plead, prayers to God asking for guidance, strength, and peace for whatever lies ahead. And every morning, without fail, He meets me with fresh mercy.
There is something steadying about that kind of faithfulness, but I must be intentional in cultivating my relationship with God to walk in that kind of trust. It reminds me that I am not walking into the day alone, and I am not carrying it by myself. His grace is new each morning, even when my emotions tell me otherwise.
At the end of the day, the only thing I truly fear is missing His will. Success, recognition, and accomplishments come and go, but they are not what anchor me.
Over time, my definition of success has changed. If the team is safe, supported, and thriving, and if the community feels cared for, I can rest knowing the day was a success.
6. Walk Alongside People
I have never viewed leadership as standing in front of people and telling them where to go. I firmly believe that I cannot lead well unless I have first learned to serve well.
For me, that begins with a daily choice in posture. Instead of assuming I know what someone needs, I try to approach people with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to listen. I have learned there is often more happening beneath the surface than what my eyes can see.
Leadership sometimes looks like paying attention to the small things. Are someone’s shoulders carrying more weight than usual? Is their smile not quite reaching their eyes? Is there a quietness where there is normally energy? Taking the time to notice people reminds me that everyone is fighting battles, carrying responsibilities, and navigating circumstances that may be invisible to those around them.
I believe in walking alongside others. We are a team, and every person brings unique gifts, challenges, and experiences to the journey. From this place, I aim to lead with grace, understanding, and compassion. My goal goes beyond helping people succeed at work; it is to support them as human beings.
People may forget what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel. Every person should be seen, heard, and valued, not because of what they produce or accomplish, but because of who they are.
When people feel safe and supported, they are free to grow, thrive, and share their gifts with confidence. One of the greatest privileges of leadership is creating an environment where people can become the person God created them to be.
These six lessons are not the end of a story; they are part of an ongoing one. I am still learning, still growing, and still being shaped. Looking back, I can see grace in every season. The Goochland Restaurant has been more than a place of work; it has been a place of formation. I trust that the same God who has taught me these lessons will continue to lead me through the ones I have not yet learned.
