When Challenges Pile Up, Dig Deeper!
When my Mother died four years ago, one of my brothers and I were tasked with giving a part of her eulogy. I wanted to be able to capture and convey the essence of who my Mom really was so I decided to ask a question of my eight siblings and a few of her friends. The question was simple. “What was the most important thing that you learned from our Mom or your friend?”
One of the most poignant answers to this question came from one of her work colleagues, a young woman named Amy. Amy had a difficult relationship with her Dad and talked to my Mom frequently about the situation. She said the conversations always ended the same way. My Mom would encourage Amy to rise above the situation and to continue to share unconditional love with her Father. After a few iterations of this, Amy grew frustrated and emotional and told my Mom that she had tried repeatedly and that she simply couldn’t find any love in her heart for her Father. She said my Mother paused for a moment, looked her square in her eyes and said quietly, “Then Amy, you’ll just have to dig a little deeper”. Amy then told me that these wise words had completely changed her life and her relationship with her Dad.
I realized in that moment that this and many other wisdom filled lessons were imparted to me and my siblings while my parents were alive. These lessons have shaped the woman that I am.
Like all of you reading this, I have faced many challenges in my life. There were times that I felt powerless. Through it all, I had many people who challenged me to PowerUp!, move past my fear, and “dig a little deeper” no matter what I was facing.
In my late twenties, I found myself divorced and raising my son alone. Those were some of the scariest and most challenging times in my life. I dug deep and I did what my Dad had exemplified for us: I worked hard. I was the East Coast Director for a nationally franchised organization and made a good life for my son and I.
When that gig ran its course, I interviewed for a job as a budget analyst for a large state agency in Maryland. During my interview I learned that advanced Microsoft Excel skills were required. I didn’t even know what Excel was. Somehow I made my way through the interview. Before leaving I was offered the position and told that the hiring process was going to take about a month and a half. When I walked out the door I knew I had bluffed my way through the interview and was scared to death that on my first day I was going to blow up one of the massive excel spreadsheets that I was going to be responsible for. Fear was a great motivator in this instance and again I dug deep. I spent every moment of the next month and a half learning the Excel program and thankfully I was fairly proficient by the time I started the job. I am happy to say that all of the Excel sheets that fell under my purview survived.
After four years, I decided it was time to move on. I then put the business development and marketing skills that I had to use in a couple of international consulting firms in Washington, DC. It was through those jobs that I got the opportunity to travel around the world. My travel was mostly solo. It was often challenging and a little scary but, because I said yes to these opportunities, I was introduced to a diverse and beautiful group of people and cultures. Though my family couldn’t help worrying about me a little bit as I headed off to the next destination, they were supportive and always excited to hear about my adventures when I returned home…and boy did I have some adventures.
Two years ago, I realized that I was ready for a different kind of life. I decided to walk away from the corporate world and all the security that it held. Though certainly there was some fear involved, I started my own marketing and business development consulting business, established a growing coaching business, and ditched my city life for a life in the magical Shenandoah Valley. I feel PoweredUp! everyday and I love being able to guide my clients as they PowerUp!, “dig a little deeper” and learn to say yes as they face challenges on their own personal and professional journies.
As I close this post, I acknowledge with deep gratitude how privileged I am to have had the kind of support I did throughout my life. I am excited that at 55 I am PoweredUp! and I still want to dig a little deeper as I continue to challenge myself by choosing things that offer me the opportunity to stretch and grow.
In what way can you PowerUp! and dig a little deeper as you face the things that challenge you?
