When Your Career Seems To Have an Impediment

In eight years, I’ve gone from being a guy who studiously avoided the public eye partly because he was ashamed of his speech impediment, to being a guy who has made audiences across the country laugh, cry, have epiphanies and recognize the greatness within themselves.

Yep, it has been quite an adventurous road, but my career still isn’t where I want it to be.

After all, I’m not yet reaching all the high school and college students I want to reach. I’m still haven’t helped all the businesses I want to help see the profound potential, productivity and profitability that comes from consistently doing their imperfect best.

To add insult to injury, I’m yet not making the money I want to be making.

Do you ever get frustrated about your career not yet being where you want it to be?

The bottomline is that all I haven’t done in my business could easily overshadow all I have done. And mind you it does on some days.

However as I write this, I’m recognizing that, the dream of the career that I embarked on eight years ago isn’t finished. The ride isn’t over. The challenge of my career is still drawing me forward. How fun exciting is that?”

I’m 42. I love what I do. I intend to speak, write and coach until I’m in my eighties or nineties. (albeit I may go down to part time by then).

Whereas, if I felt I had accomplished all that I wanted to in my career and was seriously bored, I would probably be plotting ways to win the lottery and retire next three months.

Then what would I do with the next fifty or sixty years of my life?

Far from being a negative, the portion of your career race that you haven’t yet run can be a profound positive, for it means the race is still on. The challenge is still inspiring you, calling you to be brave, calling your forth to engage in new career adventures.

For most of my life, having a speech impediment felt like a very heavy burden, much like having so much, as of yet, unaccomplished in our careers can be.

What I’ve discovered over the past eight years is that extremely heavy burdens can transform into profound gifts, not only by talking about them differently, but by using them differently.

The joy of our careers can truly be in the journey towards the accomplishments and not just in the accomplishments. Definitely, go for the accomplishments you dream of achieving, but I also urge you to find day to day joy in the sheer challenge and excitement of the journey.