Finding my vision
When I left UBC after 25 years of employment plus a few years of schooling, I was quick to set a new path for myself. I read Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans at the recommendation of my last boss, and came up with three grand goals for myself: I was going to be a successful coach, an internationally renowned photographer, and a guest speaker
Within six months and a global pandemic lockdown underway, my world began to shift significantly. I knew I wanted to refine my coaching clientele to leaders and no longer enjoyed the strict coaching protocol – I preferred (and so did my clients) a conversation where we explored their topic of choice. I provided whatever my client needed at that time and in that moment: coaching, mentoring, co-creating, and resourcing. My local photography contracts had all been canceled, leaving me open to becoming a virtual photographer for cycling events around the world (I got the international part, didn’t I?), and new opportunities to support small businesses. Guest speaker? Well, I was featured on three podcasts – does that count as public speaking? I also decided I was going to write a book – but that wasn’t even on the list!
Anyway, fast forward to today and it was definitely time to regroup.
I’m still working on that book – along with a few other writing projects (because I gave myself permission to call myself a writer). A healthy array of issues sidetracked most everything else. I knew things were shifting for me again, and I wondered what might come next for me.
It was time for a miracle.
I was in luck! I participated in Siretona’s Miracle Hour with my childhood friend and (soon to be, she said optimistically ;)) publisher, Colleen McCubbin. It was just the two of us talking about our marketing wishes and dreams, and she recommended we both read the chapter “Leverage Your Marketing” in Fabienne Fredrickson’s The Leveraged Business for inspiration.
Inspiration came when I read this quote on page 293:
“When you can somehow connect the role of marketing as the amplifier of your message and of your life’s purpose (or the purpose of your business), you slowly begin to embrace this new role of yours, that of being a marketer first.”
I loved the simplicity of this. It felt so genuine.
But then I hit another hurdle.
What was my message? My life purpose? Just one purpose? Didn’t I have many purposes?
I clearly had to spend some time mulling that over.
Let’s start with what I already know. Well, I am someone with a specialization in having what David Epstein calls range (aka being a generalist). How could I maximize this specialization?
Maximization requires a certain amount of focus though, and mine was sorely lacking.
I decided I needed a personal vision.
Where could I find my vision? I guess I would need to create one.
I found an interesting article on how to create a vision and loved the questions which moved me closer to finding my purpose. Questions like what problem or burden in the world bothers, angers, or ignites me, and do you feel a moral imperative and responsibility to solve it.
I quickly started writing down the first problems which popped into my head – because there wasn’t just one.
I don’t like the medical system which ignores our overall health.
I don’t like leaders who ignore their teams who are the ones who make them successful.
I don’t like the criminal system whose attempts at rehabilitation are clearly missing something (seriously, I spent time revamping our prison system during the pandemic – at home alone of course).
What was with this list? Wasn’t I passionate just about leadership? This was becoming a serious matter.
Was there a connection between these three dots? I kept thinking there must be some way to connect these dots.
I slept on this for a few days until one day I woke up and saw the connection: each of these problems was an example of people lacking and needing wellbeing. Maybe my leadership lifeboat was just a lifeboat.
I shared this shift with Colleen and Molly during another Miracle Hour. Colleen poignantly asked whether I was done with leaders. Wait! Was I?
A few more sleeps and conversations later, I now know my life purpose is all about supporting people who are on the road to wellbeing and who are brave enough to make better decisions for themselves and others lacking wellbeing… and who can then go on to change the problems in the world.
I now have the direction for the 4th rewrite for my book about leadership lifeboats.
At least, that is where I think I am right now.
Enough about me. What are some possible takeaways for you?
Let me pull some out for you.
You can design your life any way you want with a personal vision.
There are books and articles you can read to help you design your life and to help market your message.
There are coaches you can talk with to help you design your life.
If you are an introvert, you can embrace the need to sleep on problems.
You can change direction at any time.
Maybe you discovered something else for yourself.
I would love to know what you think.
Resources
Burnett, Bill and Dave Evans. 2016. Designing Your Life: how to build a well-lived, joyful life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Fredrickson, Fabienne. 2021. The Leveraged Business. Boldheart.
Epstein, David. 2019. Range. Penguin Publishing Group.
https://leaders.com/articles/personal-growth/how-to-create-a-vision/
https://www.siretona.com/
Image: my most recent selfie
