In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about your leadership origin story. I asked you when you first felt like a leader. This week I wanted to share a part of my leadership story and how I went about rewriting the narrative.
When I began to explore the narrative of my own leadership story, I realized there were values, beliefs, experiences, and behaviors woven into the fabric revealing something about how I led. I had a story I told myself that got in my way and left me feeling like there was something more.
In my professional career, I was good, but I yearned to be great. I felt like I was smart educated and ambitious, but I often got in my own way. I value personal growth and was on my own quest to succeed. I wanted to find a new way of working that yielded better results.
I started to explore the problem. I often felt confused and frustrated with my progress, often asking myself, is this all there is? Did I hit my limit? Is this even what I want? As I began to explore the narrative of my story, I quickly realized the plot I had created was thwarting my own feelings of success.
For me to achieve the next level of accomplishment I needed to bust through old beliefs which were preventing me from forging my own path. I needed a new narrative. I needed to change my story to realize my true potential.
I have come to know with certainty that what you believe about yourself will hold you back. If you think you are lacking something it will play out in your story. If you feel self-doubt or a lack of confidence it will emerge as a theme. The story you tell yourself will keep you small. Start dismantling the old narrative, and rewrite the storyline so it aligns with your current reality.
I did this work. I rewrote my story and my life changed. I can now speak with confidence about what I know. When you do this work, you will go through a transformation. You will no longer see yourself in the same light. You will gain clarity about what is real and the untruths you have allowed to influence your life.
If you are ambitious, growth-minded, and willing to do the work required to be truly successful start by reflecting on your story. Dare to be great. Start by shifting your focus from your head to your heart. Your next level of success is in your story. Your story is your power, and it will influence the outcome of your life.
Below are three of my core values. I live by these each day and use them as a guide when working with my clients. Use them to empower your new story:
Transformation– It is through our story that we transcend into greatness. By releasing the narratives that no longer serve us, we shift our perspective and awaken to greatness. Through transformation, there is renewal.
Truth – In order to transcend, we must tell the truth. It is in raw honesty that we are released from that which does not serve us. In that honesty, we find our superpowers and learn to tell a new story.
Love– The role of any great leader is to show and give love. It is through this love that your work will spread.
