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Looking For Success In All The Wrong Places?

January 2009 – I was one semester from finishing my MBA program, living in Massachusetts, and still in Corporate living out my dream of success and this idea crept in to my mind… I want to leave my job and START MY OWN BUSINESS. That makes me giggle now. I had not yet said this … Continued
Michelle McGlade

Michelle McGlade

4 Min Read

January 2009 – I was one semester from finishing my MBA program, living in Massachusetts, and still in Corporate living out my dream of success and this idea crept in to my mind…

I want to leave my job and START MY OWN BUSINESS.

That makes me giggle now.

I had not yet said this out loud to anyone. It was an idea. A crazy idea. An impossible idea.

Now, if you know of me at all, I’m pretty sure you are well aware I made it happen.

And what a ride it has been.

I had no idea in 10 years that I would…

  • Become a licensed acupuncturist
  • Startup, build and lead two clinics
  • Move back to Minnesota
  • Fall in love with and move to Vermont
  • Write a best-selling book
  • Startup, build and lead a coaching and consulting business

And the list goes on…

What have you done in the past 10 years that has surprised you?

I became a SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR. I was already a wanderlust. :O)

And really, I’m just getting started.

But as we kick off the year it feels appropriate to reflect on what I’ve learned in this adventure of becoming and I’m sharing my biggest lesson of all…

The SUCCESS YOU DESIRE is locked within you.

Now I use the word success loosely, because it’s different for everyone.

Maybe you desire to…

  • Get a new leadership role within your company
  • Startup a new business
  • Develop a closer relationship with your spouse or partner
  • Work beyond your potential in to your true zone of genius
  • Make multiple six or even seven figures this year
  • Find connection and fulfillment with the success you have already achieved

Do any of these resonate for you?

Yes? Good.

Actually GREAT. Because the success you desire is available to you.

Except it’s an inward game, not an outward game.

You work on that and you win. Every time.

I mean, have you ever looked wildly successful on the outside, and felt shamefully unsuccessful on the inside?

HELL YES!! That’s my answer to this question. Many. Times.

I’ve been addicted to success my entire life. The outward kind of success.

I used success to first get the attention from my parents I so desperately wanted so that ultimately I would get the love from them I so desperately needed. To be wanted. We can couch trip on that another time.

And somewhere along the way that coping mechanism turned in to a character flaw. A flaw that produced success in both my Corporate career and as an entrepreneur. So don’t get me wrong, it has served me well.

But on the other side of the coin…not so well.

I kept producing success but would stack up the accolades to the ceiling and then fall apart. Sabotaging myself in some way.  Typically by creating challenges with my health from overworking to achieve. Then I would get back up and do it all over again. Always hitting a ceiling, never breaking through.

And magically, or so it seemed at first, as I keep looking and working inward, the outward success just takes care of itself. And there is no ceiling. :O)

Now I did not need to leave my Corporate gig and start a business to figure this out. I can tell you though, that having started several businesses and logging 500+ hours coaching people to do the same has helped me to not only understand this for myself, but to help others uncover it for themselves.

Entrepreneurship is a mirror. And if you want to go the distance with no ceiling to your success, it’s a reflection you cannot ignore. So each day I challenge myself to work inward because all the success I desire is mine for the taking, and the key to achieve it is all locked inside. Thus my biggest lesson so far

Author(s)

  • Michelle McGlade

    MBA, MAc, LAc

    Authentic Self Leadership | Executive Success Coach | Business Growth Expert | Advisor to Dissatisfied High Achievers There’s a stress and burnout epidemic out there and people deeply want to change their approach in work and life. We’re taught to work hard at all costs. I saw it, too. My parents plan for me: go to college, work hard, get a good job. Working hard was my first strategy for success. I worked myself to the bone, and while I looked wildly successful on the outside, I felt unsuccessful inside. I saw the cycle, but couldn’t identify why it was happening, let alone how to fix it. Recently, I recommitted to my success, except now I focus on feeling wildly successful inside despite external appearances. I learned leadership is an inside-out game; when connected and present with myself, outward success came naturally. This work led me here but also work with my clients; high achievers like you and me. We’re not the type to share our struggles, we need a trusted advisor and safe place to let our journey unfold. That’s where I come in. I help high achievers who feel like something’s missing to discover the missing pieces, to feel successful and whole. We’ll determine why: • you feel bored despite success • your professional relationships thrive yet your personal ones don’t • others envy your ”perfect” life but you can’t feel good about it Let’s move you into your zone of genius without getting too “woo.” When working on inner leadership, it’s not about going soft, it’s about how much more power you bring that produces results in life and work. My clients helped me discover this approach. As a consultant, I’d assess their business and team, identify gaps and present solutions. But true transformation occurred when we’d work on the inward game of leadership. THAT is true coaching. I ask hard questions, provide tough love, and say what no one else will say to you. We go deep on what makes you, you. Working hard isn’t the only key to success, it’s about our emotional fitness. The success you seek and happiness you desire is an inside-out game. Let me show you how.