Kings Can Do No More

I was hiking with a successful administrator and educator, and when I asked him what he attributes his success to, he said very humbly, “I do what I say I’m going to do, when I say I’m going to do it.” 

I appreciated the simplicity and directness of his words, and the meaning they held for me in my life. It’s the undeniable value in reliability and self-trust that supports change.  That is how I support small business owners and personal coaching clients. I give them tools to help them clarify their purpose, rediscover what energizes them, and commit to making change in their lives—all in the spirit of joy, regeneration, and empowerment. They build the worlds they want to live in because they trust themselves.

But it was a journey that led me to that understanding. In my first two years as a restaurant owner, business was booming, and I felt overwhelmed and burned out. I struggled running a business with razor-thin profit margins. Designing financial and organizational systems that met with lightning speed changes and variables at every turn was complicated. And trying to meet the growing needs of a collaborative team of managers was often frustrating. Not only was there no work/life balance, but at that point in my career, I felt that I had gotten exactly what I wished for: a growing, bustling business. But I regretted it. I felt trapped. 

It was a poem by an ancient anonymous Chinese poet, written in 2500 BC, (from The Pathfinder, by Nicholas Lore) that lifted the curtain on my self-imagined obligations—all of my shoulds and attitudinal shackles.

When the sun rises, I go to work

When the sun goes down, I take my rest

I dig the well from which I drink

I farm the soil from which I yield my food

I share creation. Kings can do no more. 

To this day, those words remind me that all is well within my creation. Those words helped me resurrect my mindset. I understood that I had choice at every turn, and that taking control of my life meant being accountable for how I showed up: enthusiastic, energetic, alive, and committed to serving my family, community and staff of 50.  Nothing needed to change, but me. My life became no less meaningful than that of the poet’s perception of a king’s power. All was well in my kingdom because I decided to find empowerment from within. In our work together you’ll learn how to trust who you are, trust your choices, and trust that you can turn challenges into opportunities for growth. That is freedom!

~ Roe Di Bona