As we CELEBRATED THE 4TH OF JULY over this past weekend – We hope that you took a moment to enjoy a time to DREAM with your family! At TC&A, we’re believing there is more good to be realized in the present and more good to come. We’re DREAMING with you because we believe in the…
THE POWER OF OUR STORIES
“The only thing I wished I’d done more of is to
DREAM BIGGER!”
- 84 Year-Old Billionaire
The quote above came from a story I listened to recently … the CEO was reflecting upon his own career and how a mentor who was a billionaire encouraged him to DREAM BIGGER as a young man.
A young man who was learning and building upon the foundation of his character. A young man who was working hard to increase his own knowledge, expertise and competency. A young man who saw consistency as an ability to be ready to make decisions and do what he needed to do in the moment. A young man who created strong relationships by seeking out mentors to help teach and guide him. And, a young man who built his confidence every day with a VISION that his business would get bigger and bigger and bigger…and, to this day with years passed, he is still not done DREAMING on behalf of his business and employees.
The “DREAM BIGGER” statement resonated with me. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I do have a lot of dreams for building TC&A, our Family Strong Blueprint organization and our Find Your WHY non-profit program for teens. The character of who I am gains a lot of energy by dreaming and bringing opportunities for others into reality. I know dreams require structure, systems and efficiencies, in order to help them to grow beyond the new birth stage. This is where our TC&A, FSB and FYW teams are so valuable. They bring important skill sets to everything we do. I well understand the importance of consistency as being important for growth and development (something I am always working on personally and our teams are working on, as well). And, I believe, I would not be where I am today, owning my own businesses and non-profit without my mentors, my relationships and my TEAMS. There is nothing that is accomplished by one person – I am so deeply grateful for all of my relationships. Relationships are one of my four cornerstones of being most important and meaningful to me for I know, I can never lead myself alone, nor do I ever want to.
There are days that do have their uncertainty. We have all experienced plenty of uncertainty over the last several months in our personal, professional and communal lives. To date, there continues to be uncertainty that we are facing every day.
One thing, I do know for sure. I know I can trust my internal confidence. I know that I can rely on my past and present life and work experiences to overcome the complex challenges. And, I know, I can be intentional and make good and thoughtful decisions…even if, some of my decisions are better than others. I learn best from making decisions and moving forward.
Each one of us is living out the POWER OF OUR STORIES every day. You may reflect and say, “Tess, I do not feel much power these days with all of the uncertainties of Covid-19.” I hear your thoughts and do understand the feeling of uncertainty. My encouragement is to rely on your past story (history) that is supporting your present reality story. Your story has molded you with significant strengths to rise above, overcome and to be resilient. Your story can motivate you into a future that is worthy of your DREAMS. Your story is not just an outward experience – it is an inward journey, as well. Your story does give you perspective and at the same time, it may show you where you can see a person or situation from a different vantage point. WHO WE ARE today is incomplete because there is more for us to DREAM BIGGER for who we can be for our tomorrow.
I know telling our stories, is not easy. Telling our stories requires a high degree of feeling safe and trusting of those we tell our stories to. Yet, the ability to tell our story supports a commitment to ourselves, for new growth, development, being appropriately authentic and being real – true to who we are. Our stories will help others, as well.
Today, when I heard the “I wish I had DREAMED BIGGER” story, the story took root within my own story and it brought a new energy for me to continue to DREAM BIGGER in all areas of my life.
I often say, in our businesses, communities, organizations and homes – We are all walking stories with personalities, life experiences, educational experiences, painful experiences, joyous experiences, some very challenging aspects of life that we have had to overcome and blessings along the way that we can be grateful for. Our stories are always with us, always developing and shaping who we are.
I encourage you – Sign up for the Relational Art Virtual Seminar and learn how to connect to your story. It will be valuable for YOU TO DREAM BIGGER! There is always room for a new DREAM right? (asked by a true DREAMER!)
Check out The Family Strong Blueprint’s FIRST blog!
Recently, I fell in a hole in the grass at a park when I was on a walk with my son. I landed on my wrist and thankfully, I didn’t break anything. I did, however, sprain it. What I’ve learned is that a sprain can be even more painful than a break. I have found as a counselor and coach that often times families don’t do the critical work of identifying their family core values until there is a “break” or a crisis. When our families are healthy, we don’t think about the strength needed to support a future fall. “Sprains” – the daily trips and falls can lead to the deepest pain in our family systems. Support – in the form of coaching and consulting can be a “brace” that brings clarity, stabilization, healing, strength and a new sense of life. It can even prevent many of the “sprains” in the first place. The challenge is most families are too busy for this proactive work.
You can make a DREAM come true for one of our Find Your WHY Students by making a donation
Just for FUN!
My son-in-love, Max is an expert in Hospitality! He has built his career in the Restaurant, Bar and Wine industry. As we enter the summer months – he has provided a great drink: Tequila Negroni and a wonderful appetizer: Roasted Broccoli & Ricotta bruschetta drizzled with spicy honey. Enjoy your summer BBQ’s everyone!