All of us are perpetually in one of three life stages:
(1) Soon to be entering a storm
(2) Currently in a storm
(3) Recently having exited a storm
The “storm” is a metaphor for adversity. Often, it is not the challenge itself that breaks us; It is the manner in which we handle the difficulty that determines whether we grow stronger and move on, or are left weakened and broken.
Whether at work, in sports, among our families, and in virtually every aspect of life, the most successful people learn quickly how to overcome the obstacles in their way.
Rocky Balboa famously said, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can GET HIT and keep moving forward.”
Blindness hit me and brought me to my knees. It broke me. It nearly ended my career, my marriage, my parenthood, and even my life.
That all changed when I learned where the exit door was located. Once I found that door, I only needed to develop the courage to walk through it. Once through that first door, I found the next one. Door after door, I walked from the eye of the storm straight into a world of opportunity I didn’t know was within my reach.
The storm will always be there. We may be in recovery mode, having finally escaped the chaos of the hurricane. We may be in preparation-mode, as lightning is gathering on the horizon. Or we may be in survival-mode, working as best as we can to stay afloat amidst the floodwaters that seem intent on drowning us.
In battling 30-years of storms, both professional and personal, I know this: Rigid is weak, and flexible is strong. Staying stubbornly rigid in the face of a battle is a sure way to find yourself weakened at the storm’s conclusion.
Becoming nimble, adaptable, coachable, and willing to change is a sure way to grow stronger as the storm grows weaker. Finding your exit door in the midst of adversity is the key to your success.
Despite it being a bit self-serving given my current line of work, I will say now and again in the future: I am so fortunate I had wise and experienced mentors around me to teach me how to sail through the inevitable bad weather.
Without them, I would have been forced to flail about while I attempted to figure it out on my own, a process that would have taken decades instead of months, if I was ever to be successful at all.
Every self-made member of the Forbes Billionaires List has attributed much of his/her career success to the aid provided early on by an experienced mentor.
My advice to you: Find a quality coach who has the experience to help you and the willingness to always act and teach with your best interest in mind.
Socrates had Plato. Andrew Carnegie had Tom Scott. Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson. Evan Warren Buffet has said he benefited immensely from the counsel he received from Bill Gates (Gates has made the same comment about Buffet).
The best way to find your door is to work with someone who already knows where the exit is. A person who can not only guide you to it, but also help you walk through it as you expedite your journey to your true destination.
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