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Hi,
While boarding my flight home last week from a conference, I overheard the end of a cell phone conversation. The guy was about my age (young and vibrant) and closed his conversation by saying:
'the future is looking bright, son...
I'll see you when I get home'.
In that moment, I was reminded of the countless conversations I had with my dad in which he would assure me 'things will work out, you'll see...I have faith in you'. If the conversations were in person, he'd put his hand on the nape of my neck and give it a couple of gentle, but firm, squeezes. And, in those moments, I would see what he saw...I would KNOW that things would work out...and my faith in my own abilities would be restored and invigorated.
I vividly recall how, as if by magic, the insurmountable obstacles I had come to my father to discuss would transform into manageable challenges I grew
energized to 'take on'.
In addition to my father, I have had the good fortune to have had a few bosses in my career that instilled that same level of inspiration at critical times on my professional path. As a result, those managers were the benefactors of some of my very best work, which delivered the kind of results that were a true reflection of their leadership talent.
As I flew home, the memories the conversation triggered made me think about two questions:
First, as a self-employed orphan now,
who does this for me today in my life?
Where do I go to help me clear the mental clutter, distill my thoughts for clarity, and restore my confidence in my own strengths? What sage mentor have I cultivated in my life who will assure me that 'things will work out' or that
'the future is bright'?
Second, for whom in my life do I serve this purpose?
Who looks to me to help restore clarity? In what ways do I bring my clients, my colleagues, or my children to a place of remembering their own strengths? For whom does my own version of the 'gentle but firm neck-nape squeeze' instill a sense of peace and calm?
Ask yourself those questions. I encourage you to seek the answers, if they don't come right away. We all lead, we all inspire, and we all have the power to bring out the best in someone closer to us than we think.
I'm pretty sure the guy telling his son 'the future is looking bright' at the Las Vegas airport last week, had no idea of the way in which he inspired me.
Thanks for sharing your Second Cup with me,
Mike
Hope to see you on the trails......91/100*
*My 100K Accountability
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