Shel Silverstein Had It Right.
Anything can happen child/ Anything can be.
From a poem entitled, Listen to the Mustnt's I read these words to my kids regularly. I'd like to think it's my credo. I'd like them to believe these words with their whole being. I read them stories about girls who are engineers and boys who stand up to evil-doers, about inventors who persevere and ducklings finding the Next Big Thing.
And I dread the day that their little dreams will be crushed under someone's unkind words or their belief in themselves will waver. I ask myself if it is enough to simply read inspiring bedtime stories. Shouldn't my children learn about daring to try something new, about overcoming obstacles, about hard work and determination by watching it play out in real life? How can I expect to teach them resilience if I can't be brave?
Some of you may wonder why I'm launching my own consulting practice now. Some may wonder why I'm doing it at all. The answer is: because it's time to start living those words not just reading them.
It's time to be brave.
Connected Consulting, I hope, will be a way for clients to tap into the tremendous passion I have for helping others reach their goals. The most meaningful work, for me, are the times when I have seen the spark of a new idea come from a conversation, when a particularly challenging issue suddenly breaks free from political gridlock, when a path forward emerges from chaos or a team coalesces around a shared vision. The common thread here are that all these things have happened because people were open. They were feeling energized, heard and valued. They were connecting.
So, I listened to the mustn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. I listened to the never-have's and then decided.
