With 20 of my closest friends, I recently celebrated the ‘well-lived life’ of a high school classmate who passed away.
We discussed everything from daily routines, life accomplishments, and family highlights, to broken relationships, failed careers, and life-changing accidents.
The theme that repeatedly surfaced was the importance of being prepared to take what life gives you and make the best of it. Life will undoubtedly throw you curve balls; how you adjust is what counts.
When I say ‘curve balls,’ most people envision dealing with failures and setbacks. In this instance, however, I’m talking about the curve balls that come with success.
When all your hard work pays off, and you finally reach the summit of that mountain you’ve been climbing, will you be prepared? Are your morals, ethics, and values solidly in place to withstand the challenges that are bound to come? Why do I ask?
We routinely hear about the
- lottery winner who ends up broke
- superstar who gets distracted by shiny objects, and loses everything
- ‘success story’ who fires the one person keeping him grounded, and squanders the career he worked hard to build
- celebrity who lets success go to her head and turns into a jerk
To stories like that the average Joe says, “If that had been me, I would have handled it better than they did. Give me a chance; I’ll show you how to handle success!” Are you sure?
Though relatively common, we rarely hear about the
- aspiring manager who gets a long-awaited promotion only to cave under the pressure
- new parents blessed with a newborn, only to have their relationship end in separation
- partnership that collapses when the title of breadwinner changes hands
- marriage unable to withstand the travel schedule of the new Executive
The stories of poorly managed success look amazingly similar to the stories of poorly managed setbacks because they share a common thread; failure to prepare for change.
Are you certain who you are, what you stand for and what you believe? Is your support system in place, and have you identified the people you can count on when others fail you? Is your faith strong enough to withstand the challenges it will undoubtedly face? Have you anticipated the changes that come with success?
It’s not too early to consider these questions.
Each newsletter ends with Learn together, Grow together, Succeed together. I’m preparing you for success because with the effort you’ve been making lately success is undoubtedly headed your way!
That’s my perspective, what’s yours? Leave us a comment or question below this post, and thanks for reading!