All of us have experienced some type of detour in our life — personally or professionally. And the word ‘detour’ itself seems to be closely connected with being setback in a plan. But perhaps those bumps in the road don’t always have to be set-backs. Perhaps that lay-off or that failed product or that lost account is just a detour that will open the door for new opportunities?
For today’s blog, we are giving you a sneak peek into some incredible content that came out of our Facebook Live Q&A session with this year’s Workmatters Leadercast NWA Keynote Speaker, Elise Mitchell.
Take a look at Elise’s insight on hitting a bump in the road in the transcript below:
Q: “[Elise,] in your book, you talk about bumps in the road. You talk about plans that you had that maybe were different than God’s plans and how you overcame those, how you dealt with those. I know there’s a number of people watching this video that are struggling with that. Maybe they’ve had some setbacks in their career. Can you speak to what you’ve learned around changing plans and how you dealt with it?”
A: “Well, it’s funny. We always make these plans in life. I liken it to when my husband, Ray,e and I go on motorcycle trips. We get on the computer, look at the map and plan very carefully all the roads and the routes that we’re going to take. But a lot of times the ride doesn’t turn out like that. You have these detours that occur. And I thought how similar that was in life.
I remember a very specific time in my life when I had a big detour. It was a career-changer. And it was not what I wanted. It was very unexpected. And I had a choice at that time that I could go and be bitter about this change or I could go and let it make me better. It just reminded me it’s not as much what happens to you in life, but it’s how you respond to what happens to you that really matters and defines who you are as a person.
I learned some very valuable lessons around that. The idea of being willing to go with detours in life because you’re probably going to end up in some pretty terrific destinations. You can see God’s hand in those detours. I know many people are in personal detours, they’re in professional detours, they’re in health detours, things that are unwanted. And we have to figure out how we’re going to respond in those moments.”
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Detours are inevitable in life’s journey. As Elise stated, you can either let them make you bitter or make you better.
Workmatters is excited to unpack this and other lessons in less than three weeks at Workmatters Leadercast. Take this opportunity to slow down and listen to leaders like Elise Mitchell, and nine other national speakers share their stories of finding and being powered by purpose.
Join over a thousand other leaders for this incredible one-day experience — purchase your tickets today and don’t forget to bring your team!
Make your work matter,
Workmatters Team
