(Photo Creds: We Heart It)
Many consider Lincoln the greatest president in American history. He led the country through its greatest moral and military crisis, essentially saved the country from destruction and directed it toward restoration. Lincoln grew up in meager circumstances, failed at business twice and had what most would call a nervous breakdown. He lost when he ran for Congress, lost twice when he ran for the Senate and lost as a vice presidential candidate. Lincoln was then elected the 16th president of the United States, led the country to reconciliation and won re-election. (Information from the good ole’ Internet – word for word.)
Everyone loves a COMEBACK. Kansas City Royals fans are familiar with comebacks, as our team won the 2015 World Series after losing the 2014 Fall Classic in a heartbreaking game 7. This week, as we are on the topic of “considering” I thought I would share a personal comeback in hopes that it will resonate at some level. Here we go…
To be honest, my personal comeback probably doesn’t fit the dictionary definition of a “comeback,” but to me the word describes my story perfectly. So here it is… Nearly three years ago (now four). I left my career of leading what is considered by many (and for sure me!) Kansas City’s premier medical practice. Leaving was SO HARD, but I felt called to join Humana, which is where I am today. (I’d be happy to share offline the details of that with anyone who wants to hear it,) Just know that it was definitely a calling, or else I wouldn’t have considered leaving. The people I worked with and the mission we served was AMAZING.
Since I felt that I was supposed to be in this new role I had this crazy expectation (That may very well become a new blog post… rereading this brings forth the idea of how do we even get these “crazy expectations,” and how can we temper or address them) that the experience was going to immediately be incredible. I was going to pop in and get to work, add value to the company and grow professionally. I was seriously shocked that it didn’t play out that way at first. It felt like I landed in an unfamiliar city, half-way around the world, without knowing the language, the landmarks, or really anything that I could understand, let alone contribute to- As you all probably know by now, it is REALLY important for us all to feel that we are doing meaningful work, contributing at our highest level!
I struggled and learned, navigated new waters and created some new pathways. The experience was one I wasn’t familiar in my career, and one that I am not sure I want to experience again. At almost the two year mark (note: patience is not my greatest strength) the path finally became more clear. (update: I still don’t have a good amount of patience and the path is clear on most days…) I had a new leader which was a key factor, but more importantly I was finally contributing and bringing value to the team and company at a level I was comfortable with. To me, this was a MAJOR comeback.
One important part of this story is that I stuck it out. I’m still sticking it out. When you know you are supposed to be somewhere, whether it’s a relationship, a career, a healthy living path, or anything else it is important to be obedient and stick with it, but most importantly, to MAKE the COMEBACK that helps you get to where you feel you are MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
COMEBACKS are IMPORTANT. Do you have a comeback story? Maybe you are in the middle of one? It’s HARD, but the HUMILITY factor grows, and that my friends, is a critical character quality to hone!