Miracle Moments in Business

Two years ago today I was driving on a winding road through the beautiful lush green Adirondack tree lined roads. As I entered the quaint village of Lake Placid, Mirror Lake greeting me at its entrance. I had arrived just in time to catch the water sparkle before nightfall. The soft sounds of lapping water lulled me after the four hour drive; but the energy of being in a town of Olympic pride ignited me.

I was in Lake Placid to deliver a keynote speech entitled “The 5 M&M’s of Leadership Success” to a New York State Association of Tax Receivers to motivate them. I didn’t want to admit I had barely passed tax accounting in college so I concentrated instead on sharing the “sweet morsels” of leadership success which included one strategy titled “Embracing Your Personal Mission Statement and Miracle Moments.”

Obviously the city of Lake Placid can be a deep reservoir of inspiration if you imagine how many Olympians must have had personal mission statements in order to win medals there. Lake Placid was home to the 1932 Olympics and the 1980 Olympics. It is impossible to be in that historic town and not be inspired by the “Miracle on Ice” which occurred on February 22, 1980 when the USA defeated the Soviet Union. I wondered if each hockey player had a personal goal of making the Olympics and what that Miracle Moment did for those players that changed the course of their life.

As I encouraged attendees to think back to one or more “miracle moments” that inspired them to become leaders. I pose the same question to you today “Was there a moment of injustice, inequality, inspiration or a situation that actually was your own miracle moment?” We might not think about this question often but if we do and write down our moment and it can be inspiration on days when other people doubt or disagree with us, and we wonder why we do what we do every day to change the world with our business or life.

Today I encourage you to think about your own miracle moments which made you who you are as a woman entrepreneur, community leader or business professional. Take time on this beautiful June day to think back on moments that shaped you. After you remember your moments craft a short personal mission statement that reflects the lessons from those moments and keep it on your desk for the next month to inspire you forward.