LISBA is the typical “overnight success” story…that took 19 years to develop…
We are not the typical overnight success story because we measure “success” quite differently than what social culture has told us is important for so many years. Within LISBA, we believe real Success comes from the highest levels of Trust, Connection, and Authenticity for members within a Community. In fact, we call the measure Beyond Success — when we can finally feel at home in a place as our genuine selves, sharing our unique gifts and wisdoms, and receiving the same from like-minded peers, without any inequalities or judgements. As we all grow on our individual journeys, our collective purpose is to make a serious impact against global isolation. As we stand unified together, we can make much more significant changes in the world than if we tried on our own.
And after a skyrocketing 13-year career, 11 promotions, consistent growth in salary, impressive job titles landing him as a Senior Executive, and an ever growing staff to be responsible for, he thought, “Wow! This is what life is all about!” Right?!
Wrong.
Behind the scenes, that same Senior Executive was severely overweight, chain smoking, drinking heavily, and sacrificing important family time. He was stuck in his own unawareness working 60-80 hours a week, only to discover that what he had been taught was a vital piece of life, AKA the “American Dream”, was completely and utterly out of his own control and was in the hands of others. Faced with this realization, a light bulb went off in his head. “Lyf is short. We are only here once. This sucks and is not what Lyf is supposed to be about. I gotta figure this out.” That’s where LISBA’s journey began…
LISBA stands for Lyf is Short, BE Authentic, and was hatched in 2002 when that 33-year-old Senior Executive of a Fortune 100 company was given the ultimatum of a lifetime — “You make too much. We’ll either cut your salary in half, or you can take this severance and have a nice day.”
So, he left.
“What makes us happy, fulfilled, satisfied, and peaceful, starts and ends with the way we feel about ourselves.”
Since that life-changing day, through nearly 2 decades of personal and professional growth and helping others to do the same in their lives, that Senior Executive-turned-Beyond Success Coach learned that what makes us happy, fulfilled, satisfied, and peaceful, starts and ends with the way we feel about ourselves. Unfortunately, our culture has taught us that it’s not okay to feel great about ourselves, that we are never enough, nor do we ever have enough. As a result, when we perceive others in our neighborhood, in the media, or in the limelight to be enough or have enough, that triggers the internal programming that it’s not okay to be who we are, as we are — and feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and stress can occur.
Instead, when we perceive ourselves to be enough, we can imagine a day where our fears are replaced by trusted, genuine, connected, and joyful experiences, and where our relationships feel equal and fulfilled. That is what’s possible when we start with the self-awareness that Lyf really is Short and that the answer to our isolation is simply to BE Authentic.
We have more coming for your next week. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we discover what it means to BE Authentic and how to live it.