You the Conqueror
Many years ago, my wife and I lived in England. One of our favorite places to visit, while we lived there, was the Tower of London. It is full of 1,000 years of history and every time we went, I learned something new.
One of focal points, at the Tower, is the story of William the Conqueror, a key figure in the rich history of England. His is a story of victory, courage, and success as an early leader of the country, which is all great, but I have always been more fascinated with his name.
Was he known as William the Conqueror while he was alive or is that a moniker subsequently invented by biographers and historians? I don’t know, but can you imagine the advantage you would have in your career today if you were known as You the Conqueror?
I would be willing to bet that everyone of your calls would be returned promptly. Everyone would undoubtedly pay attention at every one of your meetings. You’d probably be able to get a reservation at any of the best restaurants. Your resume would be at the top of every potential employer’s pile were you to ever be looking for a job.
You get the picture.
While I was writing this super hero series, I realized that if you incorporated all of the processes and suggestions that each of our five super heroes have outlined, you would become You the Conqueror in your own personal way.
I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that you begin to openly refer to yourself as such, but you would surely gain the inner strength that you would need to feel like a conqueror. After all, what else could possibly stand in your way?
The only other obstacle that I can think of that we have yet to discuss is the fear of success. Were you to achieve success, particularly of the consistent and prolonged type, you most certainly would also incur increased responsibilities and additional expectations. A brighter spot light will almost always increase the amount of scrutiny you face. The more success you have and the more attention you receive for that success, the more people will be inclined to criticize you. The more relevant you become, the more opinions people will develop and those opinions will vary greatly.
Everything that you achieve extracts a price from you. You could be forgiven if you were hesitant to run toward success if these consequences would be the price that you would pay for it.
At this point, however, there is no logical reason for you to feel overwhelmed or that you are not up to any of the challenges that your success might bring your way. Besides, you aren’t just you anymore, you are You the Conqueror!
What you can and should do is figure out the exact price that you are willing to pay for success and then set your aspirations accordingly.
As an example, you may decide that you are unwilling to travel extensively for your career even if it might mean that you will make more money. You may determine that you would like to spend more time with your family in exchange for a lighter travel schedule and less money.
You may decide that you are best suited to work at a smaller company because you value the relationships with your co-workers and you believe that it would be more difficult to achieve those quality relationships at a larger organization.
Perhaps you place loyalty at the top of your list of redeeming qualities and you decide that you will continue to reciprocate the loyalty you have been shown by staying with your current company rather than looking for potentially greener grass elsewhere.
The great thing about your goals and how you define success, is that they are uniquely yours to create and subscribe to. The balance and harmony that you seek in your life are yours to develop and you are the only one who gets to determine when you get there and what you will do once you are there.
You have the tools to make your decisions in a guilt free environment, without self-imposed limitations. You are free to pursue your own personal perfection while embracing all of your imperfections. You have strengthened your resolve so you can proceed forward without worrying about being knocked off your path. If someone or something tries to get in your way, you know exactly what your options are.
You have so much momentum and so many things going for you, success should be the last thing that you worry about. The only thing left for you to do is to go out and achieve your potential.
You are You the Conqueror!
Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union
