How badly do you want to know the end of the story?

Have you ever been in the midst of reading a book and just had to look at the last few pages to see how it ends?

Have you ever been at the bookstore and flipped ahead in  the books you are considering, to decide which ending you would prefer to read?

Or do you consistently read the story as it is written:

• Bonding with a character because of the challenges they are facing?
• Cheering for them to come through it all, victoriously?
• Fully experiencing all of the emotions they are feeling?

How about with your own story?

• The water is rising in the midst of a storm – will the house flood?
• That amazing person just asked you out – will you have a future together?
• A loved one just passed away – how will you go on?
• The interview you just had, seemed to go so well – will you get the job?
• Layoffs are happening – If you lose your job, how will you provide?

Are you anxiously trying to look ahead trying see what the next chapter holds?

Wishing you could flip past all hard things?

Trying to make your ideal ending come true?

I ask because my story has me on the edge of something that my heart has been desiring for a very long time. As I anticipate the days ahead, I also find myself pondering the times my story has thrown me some of those unwanted plot twists. Seasons of gut wrenching experiences, drama, change or waiting…

In every case:

• God used those situations to help me become softer, stronger, and wiser.
• I’ve learned beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is faithful.

And when my heart’s desires have finally come, they have been so much sweeter.

I’m not just speaking for myself.  This is true for people that have had their homes flooded, lost spouses and children, and jobs.

If you are in the midst of waiting, unwanted change, or struggle: Be encouraged.

“ Great stories are filled with drama, twists, turns, up and downs.

“ Unwanted plot twists can help you become softer, stronger and wiser.

And as crazy as it may sound, you can experience more peace and ultimately more joy.

Below are 3 Tips for fully experiencing your story as it unfolds:

1. Be thankful even in the midst of unwanted plot twists. (Seriously.) Stop and list at least three things you are thankful for. Do this as often as you need to. Multiple times in an hour, several times a day or once a day. Doing this retrains your brain to stop focusing on everything that is hard and shines a bright light on everything you’ve been blessed with.
2. Make a list of what you are learning. And keep adding to that list long after the struggle ends. You’ll be amazed at the clarity that comes when you are through the struggle.
3. Share your story with others. What did you feel? How did you react? How did you get through it? What did you learn? How have you changed? Everyone struggles with something. Your story has the power to transform your future and the lives of others.

PLEASE SHARE:  What is your story teaching you?

We’re in the midst of waiting. Months and months of waiting…

• In September – We knew we were moving back across the ocean to the land we call home
• In October – The move was stopped and from morning to night and from day to day, what we were doing and when we were doing it changed, as things changed within the company
• In early November – we were moving again and it looked impossible not to be home for Christmas
• Then week after week and weekend after weekend – through Thanksgiving, and Christmas, our Anniversary and New Years we would do what we could do and then wait – on the company, the movers, the government and Harley Davidson
• 11 days ago – all of our household things were loaded into a container for overseas shipment
• 7 days ago – our motorcycle was crated and taken to our container
• It’s almost mid-January and we’re still waiting – for paperwork to clear so we can leave

The emotional roller coaster has been intense:

• Sad to go – So many tearful goodbyes – not knowing if or when we will see many of our friends and neighbors again
• Sad to stay – Missing so much at home that we thought we would be a part of this year
• Frustrated with all the barriers – There is so much we don’t control
• Impatience, questions, anger, tears and numbness have all been a part of the process…

A neighbor recently commented that she doesn’t know how I’m still smiling. Another friend commented on my patience.

The reality I that most days I can smile because I do the 9 things I recommend below, but I’m also human and I have bad days too.

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year, and it’s been 4 years since I’ve been able to celebrate it in the way that I’d like to. (When I know we aren’t going home and set my expectations accordingly and I can navigate that day very well.)

This year I was so sure that we would be there, that I struggled to adjust those expectations as the date approached. When I woke up on Christmas Eve, I cried and dried my eyes and tried to focus on something else and the tears came again. …Over and over, for half the day, that process repeated itself. That’s not normal for me, and it wasn’t how I had imagined spending the day. But I got it all out and I am smiling again.

“ How you cope with a season of waiting is a choice – that impacts how you emerge from it.

Need help dealing with your waiting?

1. Be thankful: Intentionally look for blessings and thank God for them.
2. Pray: It’s ok if some of your prayers are confidently claiming scripture, while others are filled with gut wrenching questions, and others are peaceful and accepting.
3. Turn up the volume on your favorite tunes: And listen to beautiful melodies and lyrics filled with truth an inspiration.
4. Be authentic with your friends: Their understanding and support will help to carry you with new perspectives, advice, encouragement, prayers, distractions, laughter and if you’re as spoiled as we’ve been – maybe even meals!
5. Get some exercise and fresh air: Just getting out and walking changes the scenery and gets your blood pumping.
6. Look back and remember: Other big seasons of waiting and change that were really tough that caused you to emerge softer, and stronger and wiser.
7. Dream about the future: Who do you want to connect with, what do you want to do… What can you do now to prepare for that?
8. Keep others that are waiting in your thoughts, prayers and messages: Who do you know that is in a season of waiting? How can you support them?

So many of our friends and family are waiting for things that are bigger and harder than what we are dealing with.  

Friends all over Louisiana that had their homes flooded in August and are still waiting to get back home. …Many are staying with friends, some with family, some in FEMA trailers.

They’ve waited:

• On flood waters to recede
• On insurance companies for estimates
• On banks to clear insurance checks
• On construction crews to be available and to get started

While they’ve waited: They’ve lacked privacy, and lost personal freedoms as they’ve adjusted to life in the homes of others.

Other friends have waited for:

• Medical testing
• Then waited for test results
• Then waited for treatment plans

Some are now waiting for treatment to start while others are waiting for treatment plans to work.

And we are surrounded by people that live outside of their home countries and away from their spouses and children for years at a time to provide a better future for their families.

• They wait for vacations – Often waiting months and years past the promised date.
• When there is a family emergency back home they wait for approval to leave – and often don’t receive it. (So they often miss the births and weddings of their children, miss helping family after a natural disaster, miss visiting a loved one in a hospital, miss saying goodbye to and burying parents when they die.)

“  No matter what you are waiting for… You are not alone.

 An interview, a job offer, the adoption to be finalized, or something else…

9. Give yourself permission to have a bad day: Get it out and then get back in the game and repeat steps 1 – 8.

Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. ― Viktor E. Frankl

What tips do you have for people that are in the midst of waiting?

Image credit:  Pixabay

Imagine learning that a very obstinate peer is going to become your new boss. Yes – the opinionated one that is like a dog with a bone and just won’t drop a subject, and almost always opposes your point of view.

To say you are concerned is an understatement! That overwhelming dread you are feeling is fueled by RAW FEAR.

Two years after you survive that transition, you look back and realize:

1. Your boss allowed you to express opposing ideas without fear: Yes – you disagreed a lot, both passionately and emphatically, but never disrespectfully. In spite of holding wildly opposing views– you were always allowed to speak your truth even if it was the opposite of what your boss was thinking. And he of course, always shared his opinions.

“ A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. —PROVERBS

2. Even though you didn’t always agree – he had your back: In the time that you worked for him you faced two huge issues. One would have impacted your personal life in a major way, and the other was impacting your professional life. In both cases you needed to be heard, and you needed someone at a higher level to stand with you. And he rose to the occasion without hesitation, without fear, without wavering. He not only got your back, he was instrumental in making the necessary change happen.

3. He made wiser decisions – because you weren’t a “yes” man. Instead of telling him what you thought he wanted to hear you gave your honest opinion and backed it up with lots of data.

“ The best ideas emerge when very different perspectives meet. —FRANS JOHANSSON

4. Your strengths made him look good: Knowing that he heard you, respected you and had your back – motivated you to willingly leverage your greatest strengths to support him at a higher level – often reminding him about deadlines and details that he was not on top of.

5. You were a great team. As you played to each other’s strengths, your entire team became more effective and more productive.

Focusing on strengths is the surest way to greater job satisfaction, team performance and organizational excellence. Marcus Buckingham

Please share:  Have you ever been filled with dread when you learned who your new boss would be?  …What happened?  

Last night right before I went to bed, I learned about the shooting deaths of 3 more police officers – this time in Baton Rouge. It is heart-breaking and tempting to feel helpless, as angry people continue to destroy lives and rock our world with bombings, shootings, and even trucks.

This time felt even more personal, as I used to live in Baton Rouge and drove and worked where the shooting took place.  And in the time I was there, I fell deeply in love with the people, the city and the state of Louisiana.

I woke early this morning and immediately checked the news for updates and prayed.

A short time later, I was reminded that exactly three years ago today I posted an article about pain and anger as I tried to process the Trevon Martin case.

• Three more years of conflict.
• Three more years of finger pointing and blaming.

Clearly – What we’re doing isn’t working, as the conflicts are becoming more frequent and more violent.

A few minutes later this image from Mark Fidelman showed up in my Facebook feed:

If you are tired of the cycle of shock, grief, pain, anger, blaming and feeling helpless…  Here are a few ideas about how you can make a difference with what you have, right where you are:

1. Acknowledge that the truth is not found in the extreme views that sell news, it is found somewhere between those views.

This is from Slain Police Officer, Montrell Jackson’s Facebook Page days before he was killed, “I’m tired physically and emotionally. Disappointed in some family, friends and officers … but hey what’s in your heart is in your heart. I still love you all because hate takes too much energy but I definitely won’t be looking at you the same. Thank you to everyone that has reached out to me or my wife it was needed and much appreciated,” Jackson wrote.

“I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat. I’ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core… These are trying times. Please don’t let hate infect your heart,” he continued.

This WSJ article highlights the stories of three black men and emphasizes that middle ground beautifully.

• Racism is still real.
• Those that experience racism struggle to navigate the tension between their desire to respect officers, while still feeling fear – not knowing who polices with integrity and who does not.
• The majority of police officers will give their lives for others and really need our support.
• We need to seek truth about issues with authority and corruption and address them.
• We need to address root causes. Not just symptoms.
• We need to take ownership of the changes we want to see.  Check out how people in Dallas are responding to Police Chief David Brown’s encouragement to be a part of the solution instead of just complaining about the problem.  

“ Truth and love fuel: Healing, hope and peace.

2. Do something to learn and serve at a higher level:

   • Watch this TEDx Talk by Police Officer Chip Huth and learn with his team and celebrate the impact they are having on their city.
   • Then purchase a copy of The Anatomy of Peace Book that was written by the group of people that provided the training to the police officers in the video.
   • Read it.
   • Share it.
   • Have a discussion about it.
   • Host and/or attend workshops about racial healing, peacemaking, how to have productive dialogs etc.…

*Our international housing compound has followed all of the suggestions in #2.  My neighbors are from a variety of different nations including:  Palestine, Jordan, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, France, Pakistan, Germany, India, The Netherlands, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, China, Korea, Tunisia, America and more.  We also represent a wide variety of faith and non-faith backgrounds.  In spite of our differences we have all experienced powerful learnings and and growth and we will continue to invest our time in these types of activities.  

“ Be a light, not a judge; be a model, not a critic; be a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem. —STEPHEN COVEY

3. Look for what is working and share it.

Be intentional about sharing the good news that models, teaches, inspires, and encourages; more than you share the sensational stuff that increases  division.

This is what happened in Wichita, Kansas last night at a First Steps BBQ between Police Officers and The Community instead of the Black Lives Matter Protest that was originally scheduled.  

“ Be the change that you want to see.

4. Pray.  Don’t just say you’ll do it. Do it.

If you aren’t convinced that prayer works – check out this movie.  It was created by people who have first-hand experience with the power of prayer.  It was so popular that it became a hit movie last summer.

“ When light meets the dark. Healing begins. —TENTH AVENUE NORTH

We don’t have to feel helpless.  We were given brains and hearts to use them.

Please share:  How are you making a difference?  Is there anything you would add to this list?

It has been said that if you’re not learning, you’re not growing, and if you’re not growing you’re dying.

I’ve written about Lana Simko before. At age 62 she and her husband were happily retired living in their hometown near their two children and four grandchildren.

And then her husband started receiving phone calls asking him to consider employment on the other side of the world in a culture that is nothing like their own.

She was so certain that would never happen that she would laugh and walk away each time he took a call. And then one day she realized that he was seriously considering this seemingly crazy move.

She loves her man so she agreed to go with him to see this place and although she wasn’t overly impressed in that visit, she trusts him and finally agreed to move there for just three months. (Surely the combination of culture shock and missing their beloved offspring would end this insanity pretty quickly…)

So after some cultural training that scared her much more than it helped, she landed on the other side of the world. The moment she stepped off the plane she immediately broke one of those cultural norms. Clueless about the consequences and fearing the worst, she backed against a wall and burst into tears. Emphasizing how much she wanted to go home.

The next morning she woke up in a hotel and her husband headed to work.  Her plan for the day was to hide under the covers and cry.  Another spouse interrupted that plan by dragging her out of the hotel, taking her around town, and introducing her to others – every single day until she was ready to navigate this new world on her own.

Within three months this formerly shy woman that had happily enjoyed life in her comfort zone was transformed. She began reaching out to strangers, crafting with neighbors, moving throughout the city as if she’d been here forever, giggling like a schoolgirl and reflecting joy to everyone around her.

Yes – she still missed her children and grandchildren so much that it caused tears.

But the transformation in her was so pronounced that that people started to admit that they had been pretty convinced she would not be able to make the adjustment and now they were in awe.

Three years have past since then. Yesterday her neighbors gathered to honor her life, her friendship, and the growth we’ve witnessed. Today the last of her boxes will be packed and within two weeks she will be headed back to her beloved children and grandchildren.

Although she is certain that she will cherish the time with them even more – she is equally as certain that she will never be the same quiet lady that left home.

Her friends on this side of the ocean believe that her light will always shine brighter and that her family will never be the same because of her example. And we can’t wait to hear more transformational stories about the volunteering that she plans to do when she returns home and the lives that she will impact.

Here’s the thing…  YOU don’t have to make an international move to learn and grow.

But YOU do need to make a conscious decision to do things that make you uncomfortable.

And you can’t compare “your things” to anyone else.  What seems terrifying to you, will be easy for someone else.

Do what is hard for YOU:

• Share an opportunity for improvement with your boss.
• Admit what you don’t know.
• Greet a stranger when you walk down the street.
• Take dance lessons because someone you love wants to dance with you.
• Take a vacation outside of your state or your country.
• Ask someone for help.
• Sit with someone you don’t know well at an event.
• Stand up for an important cause.
• Listen to someone that doesn’t agree with you.
• Tell someone you love them.
• Walk into something difficult and learn all you can.
• ____________________________________________ (What would you add to the list?)

Life begins at the end of YOUR comfort zone.  YOU decide.  Are YOU living or dying?

Have you ever been at the top of your game and:

• Graduated into adulthood to start your career?
• Transitioned from the military to the civilian world?
• Experienced a life-altering event that forced you to start over?
• Decided to leave what you’ve always done to pursue an uncommon path?

In the space between what you left and what you were pursuing… Did you struggle?

Did you feel your confidence tanking as you: Worked to learn and define your new role and become successful at it, while navigating a culture and politics that were foreign to you?

I’ve been there.

• Trying to figure out why things that used to seem so easy were suddenly so hard and questioning my abilities.

I’ve coached others through that place.

• Reminding them that learning a completely different role and a different culture while grieving how they defined themselves and how they connected with others – causes doubt.

A few months ago I watched Brene Brown interview Oprah. Guess what… Oprah’s been there too! When Brene asked Oprah to share her toughest fall Oprah responded,

Starting this network coming off the glory of 25 years of the Oprah Show.   I was thinking wow, I can’t pull it together, I can’t figure out what’s gonna work. Part of the shame and embarrassment was not knowing what I didn’t know. And coming from a place where I knew it like the back of my hand.  Doing that show for 25 years was as easy as breathing to me. That was a time that required a lot of courage.  Not just to keep going but what does this really mean…

 Did you catch it?

[Tweet “Even legends feel their confidence shake when they don’t know what they don’t know.”]

[Tweet “Even legends crave the comfort and security of knowing something like the back of their hand.”]

YOU ARE NORMAL if your confidence is shaking when you don’t know what you don’t know.

YOU ARE  NORMAL to crave the comfort and security of knowing something like the back of your hand.

Choosing to keep moving in that uncomfortable space grows and prepares you for greater success.  

So in the space between your comfort zone and your next reinvention:

1. When doubt whispers in your ear – choose faith.
2. When fear assails you – choose another perspective.
3. When loneliness seeps in – choose curiosity and engage with others.
4. When your dream seems too far away to be possible – focus on who you will help when you get there.

I really believe that we make up stories about other people’s fearlessness, but there’s not enough conversations about the falls, and the hurt and the climb back up and the shame.  -Brene Brown

Please share! What have you learned in the midst of a transition?  

Want more?

• Need help navigating a career transition – click here.
• Need help navigating layoffs – click here.

Image credit:  iStock

A little over a month ago I spoke to a group of senior level business leaders. Toward the end of our time together, one man said his wife was working for an organization that has downsized several times in the past 12 months, the workload is increasing and morale is tanking. He wanted to know how to support her at a higher level.

Two weeks ago I watched another leader navigate the 4^th layoff this year.

• He shared how one man cried, how some sat in surprised silence and how others expressed anger.
• He shared how the rest of team that loves and trusts him – couldn’t look him in the eye.
• And then shared how decisions have been based almost entirely on cost savings – not about who is needed to cover all of the job functions, who is the most dedicated or the best team player or who they will need to reinvent the future.

Last week I visited with several titled leaders that work for a variety of companies that are struggling – hard.

• Each one is being asked to give more and more of their lives to support the companies they work for. They go to work earlier, and stay later. Many have been told that they can’t go on the vacations they were approved for, and have paid for – vacations that would have had them traveling with family over the holidays. They are expected to work instead.
• Even required, non-refundable employee training courses that had been previously approved, and completely paid for – including travel and accommodations, have been cancelled.

In every case titled leaders are wondering if logic and humanity have been tossed out the window.  And each one of them is trying to own the situation they’re in the midst of while dealing with their own fears, serving their people, attempting to meet their objectives, and have some sort of a life.

[Tweet “Pressure really does make diamonds.”]

If you are a titled leader in these situations and wondering what to do:

1. Pray for wisdom and for the people throughout your organization.
2. Enlist the support and advice of loved ones and mentors.
3. Hire a coach.
4. Establish boundaries that allow you to serve well without giving everything you have to the company. You will be no good to anyone if you don’t take care of health and your family.
5. Remember who you are and what you stand for and decide:  What will you accept? When will you speak for change? When is it time to move on?

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.  -C.S. Lewis

And for as long as you stay on:

1. Take care of yourself.  Eat right, exercise, spend time with your favorite people and doing your favorite things.
2. Adjust your thinking so that you aren’t speaking and acting like a victim.  Click here for tips about how to develop mental toughness.
3. Be courageous. Speak truth – up, across and down.  Are there internal opportunities for improvement?  If you are in a position to prevent future layoffs – speak up.
4. Invest in the people you are there to serve. The leader in the second example spent several hours with his remaining employees after the last layoff. Answering questions, giving them tools to help them navigate the change and adjust their thinking. He didn’t try promise them tomorrow – but he convinced them once again that they matter, that he cares, and that they are all in this together. He also helped those that were laid off to connect with other hiring managers.
5. Be the change your organization needs: Brainstorm with your employees, your customers and your vendors – what knowledge and tools do they have that will help you navigate your new reality?

What tips would you add to this list?

Below are links to tools that will help you support the people you lead as they navigate change and face fears that maybe they are next.  

• The Change Cycle: How People Can Survive and Thrive in Organizational Change
• The Total Money Makeover

If you’ve been laid off.  

• This article will provide hope and help in the midst of your career transition.
• This article will help you reinvent your career.

Earlier this week movers came to the home of our dear friends and packed everything they had to prepare for a move to another country.

• It’s a great career opportunity for him.
• It means more daily freedom for her.

But it’s still stressful.

• Anticipation, doubt and fear swirl together about the unknowns.
• And at the same time they process the emotions of an ending before the new beginning…

As 2015 comes to an end, you may be considering a new beginning, a fresh start, a change or a reinvention…

Hollis Thomases knows a thing or two about reinventing. After graduating college, she moved to Baltimore knowing no one and having no job. She had a 10-year career working for trade associations, small businesses and large corporations and left it all in 1998 to start her first company, a digital marketing & advertising firm. After successfully growing that company for 15 years into a multi-million dollar business she felt it was time to move on to her next incarnation. Her pursuit of her own reinvention led her to realize the need to help others on their journeys, too, and ReinventionWorks, was born with the goal of helping others with their career/life reinventions.

Hollis describes the reinvention process as interconnected phases that are brought on by deliberately choosing to change.

It looks like this:

• The Decision to Change
• Fortifying the Foundation to Change
• Visioning the “Next Future”
• Planning
• Execution
• Zig
• Zag
• Hop
• Repeat

The Decision. Because reinvention is deliberate, it has to begin with an intentional decision: I/We want to change. How and to what degree to change gets defined by each person or organization, but with intention must come purpose: why do we want to change? This purpose is crucial because the strength of belief in purpose will drive the rest of the process.

Fortifying the Foundation. Just because someone or something wants to change doesn’t mean it will happen. Change is hard – sometimes very hard – and the attempt to change can be thwarted by all kinds of toxic or self-limited thinking. The Foundational Phase of The Reinvention Continuum must occur early in order to conquer these obstacles; otherwise, the intention to reinvent will likely not succeed. In organizations, leadership must recognize and address these obstacles first or they should not expect new and different outcomes. For individuals, now might be the time to seek professional or peer guidance and support.

Visioning. When the Foundational work has gotten pretty far along or completed and the barriers cleared, Visioning can take place. Visioning harkens back to purpose: Where do we see ourselves reinventing towards and why. Leading visioning exercises should keep two things in mind: 1) Purpose 2) Intentional forward propulsion. Visioning activities that only serve to tread water have no place in The Reinvention Continuum.

Planning & Execution. Much like the development of business or marketing strategies, once you have direction, planning on how to get there and then executing on that plan comes more easily. That said, perhaps even more often than with business strategy, so too come zig-zags and hops.

Zig, Zag, Hop, Repeat. I like to describe the reinvention process as “intentional imperfection.” People should enter The Reinvention Continuum expecting a lot to not go as planned. And when things don’t go as planned, it leads to pivots, turns, tweaks, adjustments, backslides, leaps forward, and all other kinds of chaos. Leading through this chaos – and sustaining energy and momentum during it – can be one of the most challenging parts of reinvention. At the individual level, it feels as if just as much is at stake as if it were at the business level. In other words, at the business level, dollars and cents matter, but at the personal level, one’s essence matters. To lead through intentional imperfection, why not start imaging the chaos and work backwards?

17 Necessary Skills to Tackle Reinvention

If you are considering a reinvention, here’s a list of attributes and skills that will be required:

1. Self-Awareness
2. Honesty
3. Courage
4. Confidence
5. High Risk Tolerance
6. Adventurous
7. Adaptable
8. Committed
9. Resilient
10. Sense of Humor
11. Enthusiasm
12. Generous
13. Participatory
14. Problem-Solving
15. Open-Mindedness
16. Imagination
17. Organization

Reinvention is going on all around us every day. It’s inevitable. Get prepared now, and when you come to that fork the road, you can make the intentional decision to change on your own terms.

As I hugged my friends goodbye for the last time in this place, lyrics from a Michael W. Smith song rang through my mind,

Packing up the dreams God planted.

In the fertile soil of you.

I can’t believe the hopes He’s granted.

Means a chapter of your life is through.

 

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If you are trying to decide if you should stay in our comfort zone or move – you will find value in this article.

If you are ready to pack the dreams that God planted in you,

and unbox them in a new place or a new way…

Hollis is gearing up for a big event in January to help you get started.

Check out her Mega Reinvention 2016!  

I published an article a month ago, about how our international move altered the path I thought I was on to my big dream. In that post I shared how much I trust in this altered path, even though it doesn’t make complete sense yet.

About the time I published that article I heard this quote, [Tweet ““Your perspective will become your prison or your passport.”~ Steven Furtick”]

Two weeks ago my husband and I took a vacation to Africa. On the plane I read Nelson Mandela’s book The Long Walk to Freedom, deeply considering how a wide variety of good and bad experiences changed his perspective, caused him to seek truth, ponder deeply, and shaped the man he would become. At several places in his story I thought of different struggles that others have faced that have taken them to their knees and challenged their perspectives and then changed their futures. In the midst of those reflections I wrote these words…

Would you say yes, if you knew:

• That great risk would lead to a greater reward?
• That a job loss would lead to a new career in a new industry?
• That a heartbreaking betrayal would make you softer and stronger and wiser?
• That learning to forgive would help you experience uncommon peace? 
• That years of unwanted change and confusion would lead to growth? 
• That an uncommon sacrifice would create the change you’ve dreamed of?
• That an ending would create a better beginning?

In the days that followed, those words would come to have an even greater meaning.  …To help you understand why, I have to take you back in time…

When I was 10, my Mom read chapters from the book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to our family as we drove across the U.S. for a family vacation.Within a few chapters, I was completely hooked on the story, and grabbed the book from her and read ahead, and then devoured the rest of the series The Chronicles of Narnia.

In the series Aslan is a Lion King that is wise, beautiful, kind, sometimes playful and sometimes incredibly firm. My favorite parts of the books are the interactions between a little girl named Lucy and Aslan.  Moments that were often playful and would end with her hands buried in his mane, followed by him sharing simple but powerful truths with her.

As a visual learner, those books painted clear pictures of great leadership and strong relationships. And planted in my heart, a forever love of lions and a deep desire to one day bury my own hands in the mane of a lion.

Back in the present in Africa… We went on our first game drive at 4:30 PM. An hour and a half later, we had not seen many animals. I knew that we had another hour to go, and five more game drives scheduled, but I was already praying, “Please let us see a lion before we leave here.”

A few minutes later, we drove around a corner where another jeep had discovered the most beautiful male lion lying under a tree. As our jeep approached we could see him through the trees and he roared several times. Have you ever hear a lion roar? It is an incredibly powerful, awe-inspiring sound.

Apparently roaring takes lots of energy, so The King decided to rest; we got the most amazing pictures and my heart overflowed.

Several days later in a different location we went on a lion encounter and were quickly told that we could walk with two female lions and pet their thighs, but nothing more. (Not exactly what I’d been dreaming of, but I was still thrilled.)

Towards the end of our walk, the two females went to another group and for some mysterious reason two more lions joined us, one male and one female. (Yes – I was bubbling over with excitement!)

And then our guide asked if anyone wanted to sit with the male lion and put their hands in his mane. And a dream of many years came true!

When my finger massaged their way into his mane, I looked at my husband, trying to process the emotions I was feeling and attempted to choke back some unexpected tears, “I can’t believe this is really happening.” He reassured me that it was, and then the tears flowed.

From the first night on our safari to the day that my hands were buried in the mane of that beautiful lion and in every hour I’ve spent reflecting on our journey… I’ve been reminded that walking by faith continually provides perspectives that really are a passport to an uncommon life.

The moment we said yes to life outside of our comfort zone I’ve had to choose my perspective.

• About the desert we would live in.
• About the people that I’d never met but were frequently stereo-typed in the news.
• About the cloak of invisibility I would have to wear.
• About the things we can’t do.
• About the dream that I still have…

No my lion is not my biggest dream. He is still a symbol of what my dream means to me and a reminder of all that I’ve gained from and unlikely, “Yes.”

Think of any challenge you are currently facing… What if a new perspective is your passport to a better future?

Would you say yes, to…

• Seasons of extreme pain?
• Unwanted change?
• Life outside of your comfort zone?
• Or an altered path?

If you knew that something bigger than you could imagine was in store for you?

After we returned home, I wrote this post and shared pictures with friends on Facebook.  However, before I published the post, someone I do not know contacted me in a private message over Facebook, stating that she was a friend of a friend and she wanted me to know that the Lion Encounter I just described was a horrible progam.  I read her message on the fly and when I went back to read it for detail it was gone.  I was also contacted on Twitter, but when I responded and asked questions, I received no reply.

Although I am still feeling incredibily blessed by our experience I took the time to review what we witnessed and to do some more research.

• These lions were not drugged.
• A beautiful relationship between the staff and the lions was clearly evident.
• The staff oozed passion as they shared the vision for the program.

We trust the tour company we used, and were delighted to notice that some of the other optional excursions we were given on our trip were to places that were recommended by animal rights websites.

And as I’ve done a bit more research I discovered this article about the program from another tourist that was also seeking truth.

As a titled leader have you ever been in a situation where:

• Your objectives were INCREASING
• The volume of customers were INCREASING
• The demands on your team were INCREASING
• …And the effectiveness and efficiency of your tools were decreasing?

Was it possible to do MORE with less?

How did you navigate the changes?

Were you and your team at risk of burning out?

Did you struggle with victim thoughts?

Did you communicate your need for better tools or more help?

Did you give up?  …Or did you get creative?

How did it turn out?

What advice would you offer others?

If you are facing that situation now – I’ve been there. Here’s what we did…

If an energy sapping challenge is weighing on you YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  This struggle is real all over our world.

For two years, I had the honor of working with 15 Dedicated Authors from different parts of our globe, to create a book that would offer real help and hope to anyone in the midst of those struggles.  A few months ago, Energize Your Leadership was released.

Each author is an experienced corporate professional, working mother and/or a small business owner that has dealt with things like this:

• The increased use of technology that has you “plugged in” to work more often.
• Economic changes that increasingly require you to produce more with less.
• Stress caused by environment, health, and/or personal choices.
• The struggle to be physically and mentally present and engaged at home while still producing at work.

And each one has survived those energy-depleting seasons and emerged softer, stronger, wiser and more energized. If you are in the midst of an energy-depleting season, don’t let your struggle overwhelm you.

Pick up your copy today and prepare to Energize Your Leadership.

Get your copy of on Amazon Kindle or Paperback sent to you from Amazon today!