The Power of Stories

Hello, and welcome! Here I’ll be sharing the stories of everyday professionals, and how they began and then sustained their careers over time. Were there times they had to pivot, or learn new skills, or find ways to overcome discouragement? If so, how did they do that, and what lessons have they learned along the way that can be applied to our own careers? Let’s face it, our work can be demanding, or boring, or engaging, or downright toxic. Yet, we’re faced with the reality that we could have many more years of this. So, how do we keep going? I hope you find here a place where you can find ideas and answers, and encouragement to continue along your own journeys.

Last week, the world lost two well-known and influential men. One made his influence in the world of sports, the other in the world of business. I admit, I have conflicting feelings on the passing of the first man, as tragic as it was. From my vantage point as a sports fan, he achieved the highest of highs, and did it while being a selfish teammate. He also made highly questionable choices in his personal life. Yet, over the last few years, he seemed to have found a sort of gravitas.

Contrast this with the second man. He was a business man, an academic, and a theologian. As well-known as he became, he knew his purpose, and he encouraged other to find their own purposes, and to remember what really matters in life. What really matters is our integrity and whether or not we helped others to become better and discover their missions in life. I was devastated at the news of his passing, and continue to be – just look at my YouTube play list for the last few days, and you’ll see.

I’ve spent much time the last few years trying to discover my purpose. What gifts do I have, and how can I use them in the service of others and have the most impact for good? I’ve suffered through toxic jobs and toxic bosses, and I’ve tried to overcome those situations by doing a number of things to add to my resume. But I’ve come to realize that’s not enough. I’ve felt the need to be doing more to ensure that other professionals either don’t have to go through similar situations, or if they are, encourage them to take steps to change their course. This need has led me to create this blog, and develop the podcast. It’s both exciting and a little scary. It means I’m putting myself out there, and who knows if anyone else will be interested in what I have to say, and the stories I tell. But here goes nothing.

One final note in relation to purpose, a faith leader in my Church gave a speech last week that finally seemed to pull this all together for me. I’ve developed a number of different purposes based on the contents of the speech as reported in thechurchnews.com. I’m sharing them as a way to remind myself of my intentions, and to give any readers or listeners an idea of what to expect. Should you choose to stay with me on this story-telling journey, you can expect more of these thoughts, so I want you to be aware of that going in. I hope you’ll stay along for the ride.

Purpose Statement/Vision Board

• To lend my expertise, experience and faith to help build up and rescue the finest parts of individuals and societies.
• To consecrate my efforts so there will be no poor among those of my professional associations.
• With whatever unique professional and spiritual skills I have, to bring solutions and resources to [difficult] circumstances.
• To utilize my field of Business Analysis for good, to stand up and be counted among the few dedicated to bettering the world.
• To unify the hearts and minds of other Business Analysts for peaceful progress — people of all faiths, people who are willing to dwell in obedience to law, and eradicate all kinds of professional poverty
• To share my expertise freely so we can be of one mind, to work side by side with others very different from me, so we can be of one heart, to keep the laws of heaven and earth so we can dwell in righteousness, to build up our characters so there will be no poor in spirit among us.
• To do small things in my daily life to help contribute to the work of the Lord in bringing to pass the eternal life of all mankind.
• To use my abilities to contribute, in some way, to revolutionizing the world and rescuing “the finest parts of individuals.