May 17, 2021
“What word – or words - describes your life most days?”
When this question was thrown at me, I quickly seized: Uncomfortable and Quiet Humility.
Over the past handful of years, these two words absolutely describe my life and here’s why:
When I was 16 I was prompted to promise myself that at the age of 40, I would package my experience and start my own business focused on leadership and human potential. With this dream in mind, I jumped out of my comfort zone and into the unknown.
The initial jump felt right. Yet, as I entered the next jump, and the next, and the next, I started feeling uncertain and started doubting my plan and myself.
As I coached myself through the unexpected roller coaster of emotions, fuzziness, and mindset hurdles, a sudden shift happened. I was diagnosed with cancer. When I learned the length and scope of the treatment ahead, I found myself flipped upside down both professionally and personally.
After I had a few moments to digest my reality, I pulled myself together and knew it was my choice to find purpose in this pause. It was up to me to use this as an opportunity to be intentional about growth.
Uncomfortable & Quiet Humility
As I was forced to walk slowly through a chapter of my life - that I so desperately wanted to sprint through - the slow and steady taught me a few lasting lessons. When I stopped trying to control the pace and outcome, I was able to see the lessons this experience was intended to bring to my life - and not rush past them.
This unexpected shift shaped the vision for my future in a way that allowed me to put my life and priorities in perspective. I learned to sit in the quiet – to dig deeper – to listen – to get completely uncomfortable in order to be refined in ways necessary for my growth. I learned to find the gifts in being humbled.
I also learned that I need to trust – always – not just when I can breathe and life is going well. I learned to trust even when I felt like my chest was caving in, and nothing was going my way, and I felt tossed aside.
We have no idea what we’ll do, until we are put to the test. We must go through things to be qualified and equipped to help someone else later on. We do not learn things just because we read it or heard it; it does not get into our souls until we experience them for ourselves. Age and experience teach us what’s truly important in life.
Your experiences are likely different than mine, yet I know this to be true: Life is life. Pain is pain. Growth is growth. And comfort and growth never coincide.
Let me throw my opening question back to you: “What word – or words - describes your life most days?”
What might life be teaching you right now? How will you embrace your life experiences to ensure you’re qualified and equipped to add compassionate value to others?
“Life gives us lemons. Life gives lemons to good people, bad people, old people, all people. Life comes with lemons, but we don’t have to suck on them.” – Max Lucado