Photo: Jon Tyson
I work with extraordinarily accomplished human beings—people who are experts and highly revered in their field. My clients are accustomed to getting what they want. They’re powerful, persuasive, and potent. They reliably produce outcomes and results that are consistent with their intentions and desires.
You may be like my clients. They’re amazing. We work well together because they are committed to going beyond their limitations and taking on their own personal transformation. It’s a way of life for my clients.
One of the experiences my clients consistently transform in their leadership is letting go of control and trusting that even when things don’t go as planned there’s a greater plan unfolding.
Becoming a transformational presence on the planet involves a capacity to ride the tension of decisive action and unplanned plot twists. When my team spots this gift among high achievers we refer to it as “grace under pressure” and it is a gamechanger.
There are three promises I give to my clients as they learn to trust Life and release the grip of their plans, and each is grounded in how they choose to respond when something doesn’t work out as expected.
What happens when you don’t get what you want—who do you become, and how do you respond?
You buy a business and things don’t go as forecasted. You join a team and it’s not what you expected. You make a big investment that doesn’t perform as intended. Your child makes a choice you don’t agree with. You receive an unexpected diagnosis. Your spouse tells you they’re fed up.
These are the moments—when real life happens and your perfectly designed plan is no longer at play. Trusting in “something greater” can be extraordinarily challenging for high performers and leaders.
We want what we want.
High performers, achievers, and leaders know the game of control best. It’s usually what has produced the success they enjoy. Trusting that a greater plan may be in the works, even when you can’t see the plan, is really uncomfortable and requires a willingness to go beyond the tight squeeze of control.
There comes a time when the game of control cannot take you any further. To get to your next state of evolution, consciousness, or awareness you must let go of control. You must embrace the unknown.
You must trust that there’s a better plan than the one you made.
Our best plans are only a fraction of what’s really possible. The greatest plans go beyond our imagination and require letting go of control.
My 2020 plot twist…
In January of 2020 I resigned from my role as CEO of Bodhi Center. I had a well designed plan. I booked twelve months of client work that would make for a comfortable transition into keynote speaking, executive coaching, and organizational consulting.
My last day as CEO of Bodhi Center was March 13, 2020.
Everything changed—the plan for my upcoming year blew up as the world shut down and we went into a collective crisis state. The first week of my newly formed business included losing my largest client to global uncertainty—they froze and all contracted work was terminated.
I had a plan. And my plan blew up.
I had a choice to either resist or adapt. I chose to lay down my plan and trust that Life had something even greater in store for me. I never could have predicted what would happen next.
Adapting to life’s plan instead of squeezing life into your plan is called surrender.
Surrender is the greatest practice a high performer can take on.
If you hear the word surrender and cringe, I get it. It feels scary when we have been trained in hyper independence and control as the greatest tools available to a leader.
The three promises I make to my clients as they practice letting go and embracing surrender are:
- You will experience less anxiety and more peace the sooner you let go of controlling outcomes.
- You will have more fun with the people you are surrounded by when you trust that Life is working without your control plan.
- You will access increased creativity and imagination when you work with the flow of life and stop trying to control life.
The gifts and opportunities of surrender
Since March of 2020 I have grown my three businesses in unexpected ways. I moved my family from a home we loved back into the city of Chicago, where we are building the vision of our dreams.
The practice of turning over control and surrendering to life’s plan has gifted me with opportunities I never could have imagined, from new business ventures to new friendships to new creative endeavors. Embracing the unexpected hasn’t always been comfortable or easy but it has absolutely been worth it. My life today more accurately represents who I say I am…I couldn’t have planned it as well as Life did.
My clients outperform their peers in overall happiness, wellbeing, peace, and purpose. And that’s not because of the business school they attended or the clubs they belong to. It’s because they commit themselves to leading and influencing from a deep state of trust. My clients are open to possibilities that exceed their expectations. I regularly ask clients, “How good are you willing to let life get?”
If you are ready to let go of the limiting behaviors, beliefs, and practices and take on real influence and leadership that alters your experience and the world around you then let’s schedule a Chemistry Call to see how I can support you. I’d love to ask YOU, “How good are you willing to let life get?”
If you are new to my world, I work 1:1 with a limited number of leaders. You may be in the C-suite, an athlete, an artist, or a speaker – industry doesn’t matter, your commitment to excellence and personal transformation does. Learn about Transformational Leadership Coaching with me and if it sounds right for you, schedule a Chemistry Call.
The world needs more leaders that understand the importance of surrender as a fundamental practice to healthy humans and organizations. What can you surrender to and let go of today, while trusting that a better plan than the one you made is at play?
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