In The Valley-My Personal Story
Reflections on building one's career path, life purpose, one's soul path when all appears to be lost
The deepest questions, insights, awareness and answers rarely come when we are sitting at the top of the mountain of success feeling like the keys to the kingdom are in our right hand. No matter who we are, no matter what we have acquired and accomplished; our success, satisfaction, sense of personal power, value and fulfillment can change in a blink.
My greatest challenge, and greatest life, leadership and success lesson began on my 40th birthday way I was thrust from the mountain of success into a very dark valley. My birthday represented a giant fork or rut in the road of my personal life and my career. It was a time when the gold I had created by the sweat of my brow had turned to dust. I had not done anything to justify what had occured. My birthday came to pass far, far away from the success, financial security, social capital and material comforts I had wored so very hard to achieve and acquire.
Far, far, away from my former career as CEO of a successful multi-million dollar company, and the accoutrements of success I had taken for granted. I faced a life crucible, an event of nightmarish proportion, that took me from the mountain of success to ground zero where I had to start my life and my career again. While I had overcome incredible hurdles to build a formidable career, the hurdles that I faced on my 40th birthday took me to the abyss where survival itself was in question.
I spent my fortieth birthday cleaning toilets. A life crucible, a crime, a tragedy had thrown me from the mountain of success to a very dark valley. With $100 dollars and a credit card in my pocket, and mop in my hands I vowed to find a way to show my two young children that with faith, courage, integrity one could transform even the greatest darkness into the greatest light.
It was at ground zero, doing the most menial of jobs that I learned a secret, a truth, a lesson that changed my life. Inevitably, whether by old age or a twist of fate...all the glitters is never gold. The greatest power we hold is not in what we have, but in who we truly are when we choose to ignite, engage and unleash the leader or hero within. Our greatest power lies in our ability to use what is to create what can be in ourself, our lives, our relationships, our leadership and our work. The worst life crucible; the cruelest of treatment, abuse, humiliation, the greatest of failures, the pain of dealing with a threatening illness, or a personal stumbling block cannot steal the faith, hope, courage, potential and determination that burns inside us, unless we let it.
The pilot light that connects us with our higher power, the candle that can help us heal, restore and rebuild our greatest advantage and potential can be found and it can be re-engaged and re-ignited. The greatest success we can ever achieved cannot be measured by things that will be irrelevant when we leave this earth, but rather by our ability to live, lead and succeed to purpose.
Because, it is our ability to see past what is, and create or re-create what can be that determines our ability to drive our greatest intentions forward, and reclaim our ability to live, lead and succeed to purpose. For when we are on purpose, we also discover our joy factor. When we are on purpose there is a sense of profound happiness, fulfillment meaning and empowerment that helps us unleash our best thoughts, emotions and actions.
It was in the valley that I discovered my greatest power. It was in the valley that I learned to love and accept myself for who I was, rather than measuring my worth by what I had acquired or accomplished. It was in the valley that I discovered how to use my strengths AND my stressors, my changes AND deepest challenges to build my greatest advantage and potential by developing my 3Q Edge. I learned to optimize my strength and skills while transforming the very difficult and gut wrenching challenges, challenges and crises I faced into breakthrough results that accelerated and sustained my IQ (mind power), EQ (emotional intelligence) and SQ (spiritual quotient-power within)
I believe that our greatest strength, success and satisfaction cannot be sustained by what we command, control or acquire, but in who we really are; in our ability to contribute. It is the relationships that we build and sustain, our ability to inspire, engage and lead the best in ourselves and others that help us make our contribution. And, we all have a special contribution to make; no matter how large or small every contribution counts now more than ever before.
It is the fire of human passion, purpose, potential, intelligence, faith, courage and dignity towards our fellow man that will help us realize our ability to build better selves, better lives, better organizations. And, it is this fire that can help us rekindle our ability to contribute to a better world, in whatever large or small way we choose to.
It is our ability to see differently, farther and more by not only using our strengths and skills but transforming the challenges we face into a catalyst for the engagement of our best selves, best work, best leadership that drive our true power. The power of the leader within to inspire, engage and lead the best in ourselves and others. The power of being able to create and re-create what can be in our lives, relationships, leadership and work.
When we do find our true power, we come home. August 1998 I came home, and thankfully I have been there ever since. I am honored and grateful for the gift of life, and for the ability to help other rainmakers, roadwarriors and trailblazers open a new pathway, a critical pathway to their best work, best relationships, best leadership, best lives. I am honored to help my clients come home by living, leading and succeeding to purpose, because together we can make a difference, and we will!
Yours in service, Irene