I believe there are some people who are meant to take up space and maybe find a way to leave a legacy that may or may not be meaningful to anyone of consequence – - and then there are others who are meant to create space and actually live a legacy during the process. Which one are you?

I occassionally look back on my previous career as a Fortune 100 IT executive and wonder if I should have stayed on that path rather than pick the transitional “road less traveled”. I was successful and happy. I inspired others to succeed and be their best – - but I knew it was time for me to take a new direction. The question was, “now what?”
Here are some other questions I asked myself:
“What am I good at?”
“What am I passionate about?”
“What do I believe?”
“What am I meant to do?”
All interesting questions – - but what the heck are the answers?!
So, I turned to my family. Not for answers but for understanding. I looked to “see” where I had come from in order to envision where I might be headed. “Wanderlust” runs in my family – - it’s “who” my family is – - it’s who I am - – so why would I deny being the person I am meant to be?
I was destined to be a servant leader, a caretaker of those in pain, and a positive source of energy for those who have lost their way. To be mobile and fluid, to evolve and grow, to be fearless – - to step up when others backed away. None of this makes me “special”, it simply makes me “me”. And so, this is how I choose to live a life as my authentic self. Did I know this was where I would end up? Not in a million years.
I’ll go even further by saying that I also believe the perfect career or job is not necessarily the one we start out with – - i.e. a career does not need to be totally planned out. I think what is meaningful is living the art of agility and surprise. Plan to be surprised most of your life (and I mean the ups and downs) – - and I know the footprint you leave behind will be one that inspires others down the road!
Be thoughtful in your process to discover what is next in your career life. But, rather than try to answer all the questions about what that would look like – - why not focus on continually developing better questions that help both you and others find their way?
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