I’ve had some interesting revelations this week about my business as it is today, and about those individuals with whom I resonate best and most, and where I dream to take my work in the next five years.
Here’s what I realized:
1) I am where I am – that feels good
After an 18-year corporate career that was outwardly very “successful” but inwardly a deep and long-lasting struggle, I spent eight years reinventing and transformed to a new professional identity I love. I then became an “expert” and advocate of women’s reinvention, because that’s exactly what I’d done well – breaking through the 12 “hidden” crises working women face today, and reclaiming my life. I conducted a national research study with over 100 women to learn more about how to break through crisis and transform, and I wrote a book about it to help others do the same. It’s been all about breaking through.
2) But now I want to go somewhere else – and that feels better
Now, however, I want something else, something more than breakthrough, to offer others. I consider myself “successful” both inwardly and outwardly, but now I am committed to ABUNDANT success – tremendous, free-flying, fantastic success (in key dimensions that matter to me) that blows my socks off with joy, fulfillment and empowerment. I’m committed to creating a fantastically successful life and career. I have new dreams – clear, crisp, and shiny.
To create/achieve that, I need more – more of myself, more knowledge, more insight, more strength, more energy, more perspective, more focus, and more risk. To access that in myself, I’m doing what I love best to inspire me, yet again. I’m reaching out to women I admire deeply – those who consider themselves abundantly success on their terms – and I’m learning from them. I’ve found there are no better teachers than those you respect and admire who are doing what you’d like to, how you’d like to do it.
This week, I launched a new national research study Women Succeeding Abundantly – How and Why They Do It, and already, after just two interviews – Shama Kabani and Janet Hanson – my socks have been blown off. Why? Because what I expect to hear from folks who’ve achieved something that I admire, is never what I end up hearing and learning. It’s all very new and different from what I assumed. (Stay tuned for more on these powerful interviews).
It reminds me of a conversation I had with my sister when she was in high school and I in middle school. She was imparting to me her pearls of wisdom about dating and popularity, and told me that where people stood in the dating pool resembled being on a rung of a big, universal ladder – you are where you are, but you want to date someone who is one rung higher than you (that’s the dream anyway). And you don’t want to go down a rung on your ladder!
Funny, I feel like I’m on a ladder – not one about popularity or “hierarchy” but an “energetic” ladder representing where I am and where I want to go. I’m standing on my rung, arms outstretched, reaching toward my next rung – my future self — and am looking up, smiling and breathless. I’m seeing on this new rung other tremendously successful and empowered women who have carved out a BIG life on their terms, and are loving it and making it work abundantly.
These women are having fantastic success in the key aspects of their lives that they care most about – whether that’s family, home, personal, professional, financial, relationships, well-being, creativity, intimacy, contribution – you name it, they’re doing it. These women don’t subscribe to the notion that they can’t have it all – they simply don’t see it that way. They believe in choosing to commit to the areas that mean the world to them, and then they going after these goals/outcomes with boundless gusto and commitment.
The lesson for me in all of this is – At any given moment, each of us is vibrating at certain energetic “level” that brings to us and creates in our lives exactly what we’re ready for, deep-down. But then – suddenly and inexplicably — we want more and we want different, and we’re ready to create it.
So it’s time. I want to step up to the next rung of the ladder of my life, to create abundant success. I’m ready for the chin-up. Are you? Yes!! Please come up with me!
Question of the week: What do you feel you’re ready for now – what’s your next “rung?” What do you see for yourself and your life when you step onto that rung? And will you commit to stepping up to it now?
