When Parenting Meets Profession

Have you ever been inspired by a friend or colleague who just happens to say or do something at just the right time?  This morning, while having coffee on the deck of my son’s mountain cabin, I was reviewing some LinkedIn posts and read a great article by Lindsay Rainwater about writing. 

While reading Lindsay’s article, I was quickly reminded of a time, just over a year ago, when I was providing some parenting/coaching to my 15-year-old son.  He was talking about writing and how he thought that journaling or blogging might be a fun thing to do.  I, personally, had been sharing self-development articles with my team of General Managers each week, and all the articles I was sharing were the writings of other people.  One of my mentor’s had recently told me that I should be writing my own articles based on my experience and observations and I had not yet taken action, as it was easier and much less vulnerable, to share someone else’s writings. 

While coaching my son, I said, “just start writing”.  Sit down at your computer and type “I don’t know what I am going to write about, but I am going to start writing.”  I am sure you know what happened next. Yes, it hit me.  I was coaching him to do something that I had been neglecting to do myself.  I felt rather hypocritical speaking so passionately about what he should do and knowing that I had been putting off writing, myself.

After that visit, I went home and immediately began to write.  My first article was a Word Doc that I attached to an email.  The second and third were the same.  I was quickly advised by my team that I needed to “publish” them.  Now here I am, just over 1 year later.  I have a web site and have written and posted 17 articles about self-development. 

As I play this story back in my head, I cannot help but wonder how many wonderful stories are out there waiting to be told.  How many destinies are being missed by lack of action?  What is it that you have been told you should do or have known that you should do, but you have not taken action to make it happen?  As the famous Chinese Proverb says, “the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step”. 

Whatever it is, pretend you are coaching someone you love more than life, and you want to see them achieve amazing success.  What advice would you give them, if they wanted to accomplish what you say you want to accomplish?  Now, take the actions you would tell them to take to drive that success and go make your dreams a reality.