Am I on a ladder?

It’s a Monday. I do my ‘am I on a ladder?’ test. I had to develop a ladder test because I found that some are obvious. Others are not.

For example, it’s easy to think of the corporate ladder. I did. When I stepped off it 12 years ago, I thought it would simply be a break. I discovered something else. I found out what ladders really are.

Ladder: a structure that helps you with expectations and constraints on how you will behave, what you will have, and what you can do.

The promise is ‘do as you are told and you will do well.’ If your current role feels uplifting and supporting, it’s not a ladder. If it feels confining and limiting, then it could be a ladder. My litmus test for ladders on Mondays is, am I excited about my day or am I girding my loins to do what I must? The first is LIFE. The second is Ladder.

I’ve found other ladders in my life – my beliefs about what I needed to be ‘to be successful, perfect and rich.’ The ones I had constrained me. I stopped exploring. I stopped growing. I stopped taking risks. Frankly, I let the fears of what others might think and the fear of failure stop me from trying from succeeding in my life.

Can you feel any ladders in your life?

Truly, my first steps were wobbly. It takes a bit to learn to live without the rules of corporate expectations. To be prepared to say no to a business opportunity because it didn’t fit with who I am. It’s taken courage to even be willing to admit who I am. In my corporate life, it was very much about being what they wanted. I learned a lot. I also happened to forget me.

Me, I have since rediscovered, is about uplifting, about co-operation and collaboration (corporate speak), love and connection (human feeling), about growing. I enjoy stretching myself into new experiences, into being present.

Who are you? Do share with me.

I’ve enjoyed learning how to do less, to be more, and interestingly more seems to happen. More gets created. For example: Off the Ladder, life is different. Yes, it has its scary moments. However, I’ve done more. I allow serendipity to help.

I’ve got degrees from Oxford and HEC, co-founded a community of practice for leading change practitioners, received awards for my professional contributions. Keynoted conferences and developed programs used by over a million people.

On the personal front, I’ve cleaned up old dark pains, learned to love and live, rediscovered my joy in art and creation. I’ve written, illustrated and published three books. I’ve traveled and explored. I’ve run five businesses, some successfully, some were learning experiences. I've exhibited my art. I've helped create dreams.

On the ladder, I doubt I’d have done much of this. The rules and expectations wouldn’t have had space.

Life is about living. Growing. Stretching. Trusting.

Right now it’s about showing up.

It’s Monday. I’m excited.

It’s morning. I’m alive. And I’ve done my morning routine to keep me centered and energised.

Meaning: I searched for what this is to me. Now I used this to select my actions for today. They were: write this for you; design a program to improve (uplift) people and project performance; paint more of Vibration Love to uplift my heart.

Money: Now the test is ‘does the process of creating it, and the outcome uplift me and others?’ If yes, YES. If no, no.

The last ‘M’. Marching. I heard the march for climate change in Paris this weekend is cancelled. Security, etc. This brings me tears. ‘Cause the moments when we let fear and terror determine what we do, we begin to kill ourselves.

So at that time I’m going to walk for LIFE. I shall do what I would have done. Terror and fear, but I choose life.

For the planet, for the people of Paris, of Chad, of Nigeria, of Syria, of Palestine and more, and for peace.

I’m going to walk where I would have walked. I will live this day.

Live this day!

Much love,

Anna

P.S Just realized that the sixth 'M' in this is 'me'. Please do hit reply, share your 'me' with me. Let’s have a Me2Me