Confronting Fear: A Journey to Purpose
Doubt whispered, and criticism spoke. As I stood gazing up at the intimidating pole, my knees began to knock. I wiped the sweat from my palms on my jeans. Amidst my fear, encouragement roared, and confidence emerged. Climbing, leaping, reaching—each step symbolizes a powerful metaphor for life’s journey.
Throughout our lives, we constantly wrestle with the pervasive question of “Why?” in pursuit of enlightenment. Even when we don't actively acknowledge it, it's there in our thoughts, actions, and, ultimately, our happiness. You may have questioned your role, career, company, and overall purpose. Perhaps you've even wondered if your work mattered, what you were truly striving for, and whether you were sacrificing too much, especially when it came to being your best self for your family. These were the questions swirling in my mind as I stood at the base of the Pamper Pole. I wrestled with if I was just a number, immediately replaceable and insignificant to everything I worked for over my career. Failure and the fear of failure can haunt us if we are not careful. Failure can make us avoid being honest with ourselves and others, scaling the challenge, taking the risk of leaping, and reaching for something we may never touch. The Pamper Pole was the perfect metaphor for life.
In 2021/2022, my business partner Amy and I navigated our Chamber Leadership experiences—myself through Leadership Cincinnati and Amy through WE Lead. We were both on personal journeys, amplified by our stage of life and the aftermath of the pandemic. We were 39 years old, leaders in our firm, parents to young families, and supporting spouses with demanding careers. We were blessed with outstanding teams, impactful work, and phenomenal clients. Yet, something wasn’t right. It was good, enjoyable even, but something still felt amiss - a record player needle stuck in an endless groove.
One of the many blessings from our leadership program was the time to reflect. Purpose, success, legacy. While Amy and I had similar journeys that somehow synced, our reasons for leaping were different. We took the time to understand our "Why" as it applied to ourselves, our families, and our careers. We knew we wanted a stronger purpose in life and that our strongest measure of success had to be more than a title, a salary, or conventional business metrics. We did the work, had the tough conversations, climbed the ladder of possibilities, and stared straight at our fear of failure.
We both leaped at our times and in our own ways, leaving amazing firms and successful positions. Leaping without a plan is usually not recommended, but for each of us, it felt necessary and okay. It felt safe with a strong support network of family, friends, and colleagues holding our rope. We are blessed. We work hard to not take it for granted.
So, what happens when you leap without a plan? You talk to people and explore different fields, different firms, and different opportunities. You debate whether working solely for the family dynamic is the way to go. You read, focus on health, explore, and find yourself.
After over fifteen years of shaping global brands through design and innovative thinking, Amy and I decided to put our expertise and skill set towards nurturing small and medium-sized companies in our community, where we felt most passionate. Hence, 39Forward was conceived and named at a serendipitous age, symbolizing life's crossroads, where one often seeks deeper purpose. The purpose would help us move the stuck needle. Amy and I are homing in on our why.
Through 39Forward, we are fortunate to empower businesses and spark innovation with strategic guidance, creative solutions, and steadfast support. As architects specializing as owners’ representatives in design and construction, our decade-plus partnership enhances our ability to think about and lead space-related projects strategically. We are a proud business member of 1% for the Planet, committed to fostering sustainable growth and creating a lasting positive impact. Our mission is to help businesses navigate challenges and reach their full potential. We want to hold the rope and provide the encouragement and expertise needed to climb, leap, and reach. We are not just partners but catalysts for transformation, companions in progress, and beacons of hope for those daring to leap toward their dreams.
This has been our path and continues to be our journey. Alumni, whatever your adventure, may we all lean on each other, dig deep, show up, and forge a future prosperous in purpose, success, and enduring impact. All leaders encounter moments of doubt and fear. We face daunting challenges, take risky leaps, and continually stretch towards goals that push our limits. Like Camp Joy for my class, this shared experience binds us. Together, we can overcome the fears that hold us back and embrace the possibilities that lie ahead.
Cheers, fellow alumni!