Strength is Built in the Dark

I remember the night my son was born.

It was around mid night when water broke. I was reviewing financial statements at the time.

Bringing work home was a regular thing for me back then.

Those were the days I was clueless.

All my self-worth was attached to the work I did.

And the work I did, I found no meaning in it.

The lack of meaning, I didn't let it bog me down though.

I kept working hard.

I was a pretty ordinary manager.

But I'd get the job done. Do whatever it takes was the mantra.

Boss found me reliable. Wife? Don't even ask.

My professional life was moving ahead, personal was suffering. It was a struggle.

I kept pushing boundaries at work all this time. I found success.

Then somewhere along the journey, something just clicked. Like a subtle change of tracks.

Quest for professional development turned into seeking self change.

All this time while I was working hard but pretty miserable, not giving up kind of got me thinking about the growth mindset.

The mindset to keep pushing for change.

I started studying it. The more I learnt, the more ignorant I felt.

One thing led to another. This is what being open to change does.

Success in one aspect of life leads to another. It’s like a chain reaction.

It's all part of problems solving.

You need to keep hunting though.

Getting into a leadership role helped.

I just reached a point where I couldn't grow any further professionally without improving personally.

You can't be a better leader if you don't aim to become a better human.

I realized I had to help others to grow to grow myself.

But helping people at work grow meant nothing if people at home felt deprived.

The contradiction could no longer be ignored.

Life's circle needed to complete itself.

Balance became a thing.

I almost reconfigured myself. From a place of constant struggle to relative stability.

Don’t get me wrong, I'm still a WIP. I am no where near where I need to be.

But it’s a journey.

All the dots need to connect together to get to your destination.

Your enlightenment today is a consequence of your ignorance yesterday.

The key is to keep walking through the dark tunnels of our lives, believing there's light at the end.

Pushing forward even when life feels stuck.

Action will get us somewhere inaction won't.

One step at a time!