Leading Edge: Move Forward Courageously

Leading Edge: Move Forward Courageously

In February 2018, I had the distinct honor to listen to John Maxwell talk about his upcoming book, Leadershift. It was the first time I heard about the book, and that was all it took to make a significant impact on me. The book was not even published, yet the words that are on the pages had already made a difference in my personal and professional life.

When I heard him speak about Leadershift, it was a particularly low time in my life. I was nearing a year anniversary of starting chemotherapy. I did not have cancer but was trying an off-label use to try to recover some of my autoimmune related hearing loss. After the first round of medication did not help me, I was getting ready to start a new chemo drug which had a lot of side effects that were making me question if I should risk taking it or not.

In addition to all these decisions, I was also rapidly losing my eyesight. I have already lost all my hearing. I rely only on reading lips to receive communication from other people. It is the only way I can function as a normal person in this world. As I started to have problems with my vision, I started to focus on what life would be like if I could no longer see.

Everyone who knows me would say things like, “You will figure it out.” Honestly, I was not quite sure that I would be able to figure it out. If I cannot see, I cannot receive information. I could only give out information. I was feeling rather hopeless and worried that I was not going to be able to continue to live out my purpose in life.

That was until John talked about the title of one of the chapters in Leadershift, “Move forward courageously in the midst of uncertainty.” Right there at that very moment in time, it was like he reached deep into the depths of my soul, saw everything that was weighing me down and chose those words for me so that I knew what I needed to do. It was like there was no one else in the room. It was like I had pulled up a chair and was sitting on the other side of the table from John and he was giving me the words I needed to reignite my courage.

There was so much uncertainty around me on this very day. Will I go blind? How can I come up with a way to communicate if I cannot see? What will my life look like? How will I continue helping people? How will I know if what I say is impacting others? Will life be worth living if I cannot see?

There was uncertainty up until that day. That day when everyone around me disappeared. That day it was my mentor John Maxwell telling me to move on, to be courageous, not to focus on the uncertainty. You know what else disappeared…you guessed it; the uncertainty.

I walked out of that room overwhelmed with emotion but with a crystal-clear vision of what I needed to do. It was time to bring forth the courage that has gotten me through so many other significant challenges in life. It was time to hold my head high and keep doing what I love to do; helping people.

How many times have you given up hope, or smothered your courage because of things that were not certain? My mentor John Maxwell is a very wise man. God has gifted him in the most amazing way. Listening to him and being a student of his has changed my life. I challenge you to consider this simple, yet profound advice he gave me that day.

Move forward courageously in the midst of uncertainty.

My hope is that it will change your life as well.

BIO:

Amy Modglin is an Executive Director on the John Maxwell Team as well as a certified coach, trainer and speaker. She is also the President of Modglin Leadership Solutions. Amy is passionate about helping people and about inspiring them to reach new heights in their life and in their businesses.

Amy is a passionate, inspirational and accomplished leader. Coming from a background in healthcare, Amy has always been passionate about serving people. Amy was a Chief Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy and has led teams all over the world. Amy holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Coaching from Regent University. With over 20 years of leadership and training experience coupled with having some of the best mentors in the world, Amy is equipped to bring value to you or your organization. Her motto is, “Unleash your inner amazing!”