4 Things I Know For Sure…

Oprah has used this phrase, “things I know for sure,” to start many, lively conversations. Maybe we can start one here, as well.

What do you know for sure? What’s so true to you that it sits at your core and guides your thinking, your direction, and your choices in life? What’s so much a part of your understanding of life that you want, and maybe need to share it?

I’m confident this is not an exhaustive list, but here are four things I know for sure. . .

• I know I make a difference in the world – and that even when my “world” shrinks, as it did when I retired, and again during the depths of the pandemic, that what I do has an important impact on those around me – they are my “world.” You, my subscribers, are my world – the place where my voice lands, where my ideas are sent, and the people who write back to me to let me know when I’ve “hit the nail on the head” as you often say – thank you!
• I know that it’s easy to feel undervalued– I’m now 70 and older women have for decades complained that they are “invisible” in the larger society. But women of any age may feel disrespected, unseen, unrecognized – and, you know, it happens to men as well. Sometimes, in the worst way, like the way we might allow young Black men to be ignored, until our biases kick-in and we’re clutching at our handbags in the elevator hoping to safely reach our floor. Sad. That sense of being seen as “less than” can derail a healthy future – don’t let it derail yours!
• I know it’s hard to work hard and produce good results every day – Some days I do better than others (and that was true in my corporate career as well) but the commitment to name and claim my work for the day, get to it, and do it with creativity and clarity is a promise I make to myself every day (even now!). The hard part is that the “results” don’t come quickly. We have to have confidence and the capacity to appreciate deferred gratification – that our results will come if we’re diligent about the effort we need to put forward every day. When we become impatient, we miss the point and often fail to celebrate the benefits of consistency.
• I know that relationships sustain me, every day! I’ve made a point of learning from others and one example I had was my husband (21 years my senior) who had a habit of bonding with men much older than himself. As a result, by the time he was 70 many of his “good friends” were deceased or sufficiently incapacitated that their adventures together were over. As a result, I’ve made a point of pursuing friendships (especially with women) in EVERY decade of life. I am pleased to say I do have friends in their 20s and friends in their 90s.

What do you know for sure? 

What forms the bedrock of your journey forward? Do you struggle with beliefs that don’t serve you – with imagined realities that actually get in the way of your progress?

Sometimes the best work I do is to help a client disassemble a set of beliefs that have distorted their perceptions, disrupted their purpose, or discouraged their enthusiasm for what lies ahead.

If you’re struggling with beliefs (about yourself, your life, your support network, or your circumstances) why not sort them out in conversation with me. When we have confidence in our belief systems, when we know that they serve us well and support our forward motion in life, we can change the world! Let’s change something together!