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99-SECOND READ
'Many of us have been running all of lives. Practice stopping.'
Thich Nhat Hanh
If you have ever struggled with overworking, burning out, or feeling guilty for prioritising yourself and your needs, read on... this story will inspire you.
Meet my former client, IB Kamara.
When IB connected with me a year ago, he was often working more than 100 hours per week. He agreed to calls on Friday evenings, and meetings on Sundays. He worked into the early hours of the morning regularly. He was highly stressed, unable to manage his work hours to prioritise spending time with his wife and young children or taking care of his health.
At the time he was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley bank - so long hours came with the role to an extent. But IB was working longer and feeling more stressed than his colleagues, and he didn't know why...
Early on in our coaching programme, IB realised that he was unconsciously trying to prove himself to everyone. So he tried to work harder and give more to constantly earn his place.
Being the only person without a private education in his team and the only man of colour, he had formed the idea that he didn't deserve his place, that he was there to tick a diversity box.
Across several powerful sessions, we explored this belief and found different perspectives. IB quickly realised that just like everyone else, he was there because he was valued. His knowledge, skills, experience, reputation and results had earned him his place. He realised this is where his value comes from!
This new clarity empowered him - he no longer needed to prove himself to anyone!
IB immediately felt empowered to stop giving everything. He managed the expectations of his clients, colleagues and bosses. He stopped working late into the night and taking meetings at the weekend, he stopped taking on every project that was offered to him. He started spending more time with his family, going to the gym more, playing tennis and going on holiday without working. He spoke up more and put his ideas forward more confidently and he empowered and other members of the team.
Then he got promoted to Executive Director.
During our journey, I also helped IB discover and define his purpose: “To ensure everyone is accepted for their true value so that they have a chance to succeed and prosper.”
IB now chairs a programme to sponsor 10,000 black interns into Morgan Stanley Bank.
THE END.
You can read IB's comments here.
Whether this story resonated with you or not, there are two clear lessons for everyone:
If you want to empower yourself, most of my spots have been booked, but you may still be able to apply for one here - book a FREE Breakthrough call.
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'I had a true breakthrough session with Simon. In just our first session together, he was able to identify the root fears blocking me and through his thought-provoking questions helped me come up with a solution to break that pattern.
I wasn't expecting this level of breakthrough in my first session with him, but was very pleasantly surprised! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM to help unlock your highest potential!'
- Shreya - Management Consultant, London
Written by Simon Tomkins
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