Time to Climb Your Next the Ladder 🪜
Success isn’t incremental. It’s more like a game of Chutes & Ladders.
AND IT'S TIME TO CLIMB THE LADDER 🪜
I played Chutes & Ladders growing up, thinking the game was decided by the roll of the dice, not the person rolling them. I got bored quickly.
If you haven’t played, Chutes & Ladders is a board game with ladders and chutes (or slides) placed on certain squares throughout the board. When a player lands on a ladder, they advance and climb the ladder, and when they hit a chute, they slide backward to a lower-numbered square.
That’s much like life.
Things, titles, or money do not define success.
It’s defined by the leaps in our lives that accelerate us forward, create momentum, and even lead to identity shifts. Leaps are in our control. Leaps are ours to influence, advocate for, and make happen.
Conversely, life can hit us with a recession, pandemic, job loss, and other setbacks that have you falling, taking a tumble, sliding back into old habits (I've heard this a lot this week) that can have you thinking 'I'm stuck,' 'it should be easier,' 'nothing ever goes my way.'
Recently, I played a spin on Chutes & Ladders at a business mastermind and was asked to list examples of massive advancements in my life and career. Opportunities, experiences, and events that changed my life so dramatically that I was a different person after.
When I became a mom.
My promotion to Associate Publisher at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
Writing my book, For Success Sake!
Marrying my current husband.
(Meeting Cher! It's not the biggest ladder but was big for me.)
I was then asked to list the Chutes -- those roadblocks, setbacks, and life halters. When I listed mine, I realized:
They came when I didn’t trust myself or my instincts.
When I didn’t listen to my intuition.
When I didn't believe in my potential.
Your chutes are laced with learnings. They are the teachers in our lives.
I also discovered my biggest ladder moments came from meeting and working with fascinating people.
When I was promoted to AP at MSLO, it came right after Martha's return from incarceration. The Publisher had just arrived. She had charisma, spirit, and smarts. She had tenure leading major media brands and was a bright light among the clouds.
On her first day, I remember telling her where the bathroom was when she walked by my office. You know that first day of work feeling like you don't know where anything is? I also told her I was here if she needed support.
She had heard I was a die-hard and kept the team surviving and motivated during the two years when the company dropped in valuation by 86%. My resilience and leadership stood out, but it was the support and partnership my boss wanted. She promoted me two weeks into her new role.
I held the AP title for seven years, and from there, the role led to leading sales for TV syndication, digital, radio, and integrations. It also led to holding the title of publisher of Body & Soul and Everyday Food.
I will be forever grateful for that ladder moment, not only because of the experience earned but by the people who helped me grow. The people were super smart, talented, creative innovators who challenged me and pushed me to be better. I am who I am today because of those people.
Now it’s your turn…
What are your three biggest life ladders?
What are your three life chutes?
What can you learn from your ladders to help you create more of them?
What key takeaways from your chutes will help you avoid them in the future?
Bonus question: What past chute in your life was actually a portal to your next ladder?
In the game of life, success is not the destination but the journey of the experience with both chutes and ladders.
Your next ladder is waiting for you.
P.S. If you want an exercise to expand your 'C.E.O. of Me' thinking to lead yourself and your teams, here's a link to the Success Kickstart Protocol download available on my website.
One more thing...
I know your time is valuable. I want to make your time more valuable.
Please take less than 60 seconds to answer six questions to help me improve Sunday Sunshine ☀️.
For those (few) who have given me feedback, thank you!!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE 6-Question SURVEY 🙏 🙏 🙏
This Chutes & Ladders exercise was inspired by Rich Litvin, coach and author.
Happy birthday, Sis
If you are considering working with a High-Performance Success Coach or want to know more about the components of a coaching engagement, let’s get on a coaching call. As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, Executives, and Teams, my proven engagement method is highly results driven.
The question I get most frequently is, ‘What results can I achieve?’ Here’s what one client shared:
“Coaching is by far the most ROI-positive investment you can make in yourself. Do it! Even if you go in with a specific issue or question, you will be amazed by how the process can change your thinking about who you are, your skills, and where you want to go.”
You can wait for life to no longer be hard. If you are a dreamer and a doer, let’s have a conversation.
High-performance success coaching and business coaching, and life coaching combined for massive value and impact on your life and business.
