Not unlike many of the top-tier entrepreneurs, change-agents, influencers and trailblazers I have encountered, my reinvention process was the result of sitting submerged in the abyss. Whether we classify the abyss as personal crisis, unforeseen circumstances or extreme levels of adversity (relatively speaking) is neither here nor there: pain is pain, no matter how you slice it.
The most personally and professionally successful people I know of based their success on necessity and desperation, recalibrated their mindset and honed their clarity, and willingly embraced and fused together their pain and their intended purpose; then, and only then, was passion able to materialize. But passion alone can easily wane. Purpose is unwavering and non-negotiable.
When we choose to find solutions to overcome our trials and tribulations and understand that others have similar trials, we gain the knowledge that if we can solve our own problems, we can do the same for others. Here are a couple of important ways to help overcome your issues:
- Don't speak negatively to yourself. Always talk to yourself as you would to a fellow human being. How would you constructively help a friend, client, peer or colleague find a solution to their problem? Whatever that answer may be, implement the same approach for yourself. Take your own advice.
- Learn to be coachable and mentor up. There is always someone playing a bigger game who has learned how to successfully maneuver the landmines in business. We are all students before we are teachers, and the learning curve does not come with an expiration date. Align yourself with someone who can help you take your success to the next level.
The ultimate success of a leader is contingent on being able to solve other people's problems. Being a servant leader means being committed to achieving a win-win outcome for the masses. Knowledge is not meant to be hoarded or solely self-serving; it is intended to be shared with as many people as possible. Your growth is as imperative to you as my own is to me. We are not all interconnected in only one domain or aspect of life, but in all facets of life, including business. True servant leaders celebrate every person's wins and successes. Servant leaders champion everyone and celebrate when they meet or exceed their goals.
I'm always deliberate about leveling up in my own life, and I don't wish any less for others, whether they're clients, business partners, colleagues, associates or peers. I feel a partial level of personal responsibility for someone else having missed the metaphoric bullseye. I take other people's growth that seriously.
I do not give myself permission to not do what it takes to meet my own goals, and the same applies to anyone else whose own goals are significant to them, particularly when those goals are for the overall benefit of the collective; it is the domino effect that precipitates the ripple impact.
Be your own hero. Be your own leader. Be your own best friend. Fear less and live more!
