*Note: This blog entry is an excerpt from Do More, More Naturally, an upcoming book from David Kolbe and Amy Bruske. In this text, Amy recounts when she first heard Kathy Kolbe’s definition of success and how it changed her perspective and her life. You can download the full first chapter for free and sign up for updates HERE.
I still remember the day Kathy Kolbe challenged everything I’d ever considered about success. At the time, my salary was higher than almost anyone my age, I’d had five promotions and moved around the country because of them. Few in their late twenties had risen as high on the corporate ladder as I had. So, when she asked, “Amy, how do you define success?” I was taken completely off guard. “Your life looks pretty successful,” she continued, “but I just wondered if your accomplishments fit your definition of success.”
To be honest, I thought it was the strangest question I’d ever heard. I had no idea how to respond. Didn’t everyone define success the same way? You graduate from college, find a lucrative career, and keep excelling until you retire. Right?
After a few seconds, Kathy broke the stunned silence. “Well, my definition of success is the freedom to be yourself.”
Her words hit me like a lightning bolt. I believed I had found the path to success with a job that matched my skillset, though, I was miserable. My role was a complete mismatch for my strengths and I left work each day completely drained with no energy left to enjoy other parts of life outside of work. I thought the pain I felt was just part of life. I never dreamt people actually had freedom to get things done naturally in their careers. True joy and contentment were reserved for retirement. I’d get there someday. Working hard and swimming upstream were the norm.
That moment changed everything for me. I was clearly in a situation where I was not free to be myself and I started to understand I couldn’t build my success by changing who I really was. I quit my job and started on a journey to discover my strengths and learn how to tap into them to get more done. Ultimately, I figured out how to find the right role for me and I stopped feeling guilty about the tasks that made me miserable. Basic decisions became easier, higher performance felt effortless and I began to feel more joy at work.
Every day, I encounter people living with the pain of working outside their natural strengths. It’s like they’re ants trying to push boulders up the hill. I know they have same the performance-at-all-costs mindset I had before Kathy talked to me that day. They don’t even know there’s a better way.
This is why we are excited to carry on Kathy Kolbe’s legacy. We’re on a mission to help people uncover their natural strengths so they can achieve a superior level of productivity and high performance in an easier and more sustainable way. Just as Kathy Kolbe did that for Amy, it’s what we want to do for you. Today’s the day to redefine success and challenge yourself to Do More, More Naturally.
