In the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself in a dark wood with no clear way out.
So begins Dante’s Inferno.
Lost in the woods. No clear way out.
That was certainly true for me.
And it’s true for many of the really powerful professionals with whom I have the privilege of working.
They’ve done all the right things. Made the right moves. They have all of the outward hallmarks of success… nice incomes… nice cars… nice homes…
And yet, many still want more…
But… not more stuff.
More meaning.
It’s like the lights have gone out for them.
They feel as if they’ve lost the way…
In Dante’s dark wood…
With no clear way out.
Happily there is a way out…
I found it… and now, having helped so many others find the way, I know that there’s a path.
But if you are feeling lost… especially now in these wearisome times…I want you to know that you’re not alone.
It actually goes back to your Psychology 101… back to Maslow’s pyramid… Maslow’s hierarchy of meaning…
After you have all of your basic needs met… after you have enough stuff… at the top of that pyramid, you crave meaning and purpose.
I do.
You do.
We all do.
Brendon Burchard suggests that there will be three questions that you ask at the end of your life: Did I live… really live? Did I love? Did I matter?
You want to make an impact.
You want your life to matter.
You want to leave a mark – your mark – on the world.
I was thinking about this the other day as I was reading a piece in The New York Times… about an archeological find… out in the White Sands National Park… footprints in the sand… from more than 12,000 years ago….
12,000 years.
You want to leave footprints.
And the question of course, is: how to do that?
How can you make that impact, leave that mark?
- Simply asking the question sets you on the path.
- Being fully you, fully self-expressed, really matters.
- Being completely present… showing up completely in your own life… and being completely present to others… really matters.
- Spending time with those you love really matters.
- Being grateful matters.
- Seeking out solitude and space to connect with your spirit and divine grace; and to steep in the beauty and the grandeur of our world. These simple acts really matter.
- Finding the work that allows you to share your gifts and talents with the world really, really matters.
Howard Thurman writes, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
And from place, that place of aliveness, love with all your heart.
Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
Those footprints in the sand? There were actually two sets…. Every now and then, a small set of prints… a child… a mom or dad putting the toddler down… walking side by side.
12,000 years ago.
Make footprints.
If you’re feeling lost, you’ll find yourself again.
I’m sure of it.
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I help mid-career professionals pivot into the work and the life they really love. If you’re feeling a bit lost and want a sounding board, let’s connect for a discovery call. Email me: [email protected].