I haven’t always lived authentically in my professional life….

My story, told from the inside out, with personal and professional layers I haven’t previously shared….

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been goal oriented and quite serious. While there were benefits to this intense focus, at times it also caused me to miss the point and get in my own way….

“No tree looks like that!” I was pretty sure I just said that out loud. Yep, I did. I could feel my face get hot and flush….

I remember saying: “It feels like leaping without a net.” While I was grateful that the company offered me the opportunity to lead a key sales initiative, I was also fearful….

I wasn’t a dramatic kid, yet there I was during Thanksgiving of my sophomore year of college, tears rolling down my face. And they kept coming. My parents looked on with surprise and concern.

Truth be told, I was equally surprised….

It was a beautiful spring day, and I was walking down the center of campus, enjoying the sun and watching an occasional frisbee whiz by. I was already feeling happy, and then suddenly – out of nowhere – what I can only describe as a “warm, fuzzy” feeling overtook me….

If only I’d taken this quote to heart earlier, I wouldn’t have found myself sitting across from a Sales Executive I’d been working with for three months, asking for forgiveness and a chance to start over the right way….