I met Steve, the IT geek and my dear friend, over coffee in the afternoon yesterday. It was a warm summer day and we sat down with large cups of vanilla infused cappuccino. Steve is vivacious and is always on a high. It’s fun being around him.
The conversation flew from the new gadgets, baseball to life-coaching. Steve’s eyes lit up at the mention. He informed me about his latest stint at training and coaching. He said he was always interested in doing something that would add value to the lives of people. The opportunity landed on his lap one evening when a training session on team-building was scheduled in his office and the trainer didn’t turn up. He volunteered and from then on his journey began. Every weekend he was with a bunch of inquisitive minds unveiling the interesting personal development theories propounded by leaders through generations.
In the middle of our interesting discussion I saw his eyes waiver to a woman who had recently entered the eatery. She noticed him and walked towards where we were sitting and before I could bat an eyelid Steve was on his feet beaming graciously.
She gave him a warm hug and Steve invited her to join our table. The woman was polite and suave. She seemed glad to have bumped into Steve. I learned that she was a clinical psychologist Steve had consulted with in the earlier year.
Steve shared how helpless he felt last year because of his bipolar disorder which made him move from manic to depressed states of mind. Some days he would jump out of the bed with a bounce in his feet while on other occasions he would have to drag to stay upright and functioning.
I expressed my concern for him but also wondered about how he managed to coach people when only last year he had been so vulnerable. The woman smiled at me, probably read my mind. She replied, “I am extremely proud of Steve and not surprised at all because I know that the gravest weakness becomes the greatest strength if you stand up firm in the eye of the wind and align your passion and life-purpose with your work.”
This was the most remarkable lesson I carried with me on this beautiful sunny afternoon as I walked back to work. I noticed golden blanket- flowers blooming in the courtyard near the entrance.
The gardener saw me gaping at the brilliant blossoms and cheerfully said, “last year this part of the garden was filled with weeds and wild grass but this year I cleared it up to plant the seeds of Gaillardia and nurtured the patch to flower.” I looked at him in awe and appreciated him for his efforts which have led to this incredible transformation.
I finally understood. I smiled and moved on with a lot of inspiration.
Indeed, the gravest weakness can transform into the greatest strength.
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Love & Joy,
Editor Bob