My Story - How My Life Changed

Posted on December 10, 2015 by David Lund, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

My Story – The Story of a Penny

Preface
Shortly after my wife Johanne and I moved to San Francisco in early 2010 I developed a new little habit, nothing serious like smoking, I have had my challenges with that. The habit I started was picking up the pennies I would find, making a wish and putting the penny in my pocket. I found that if I wished for simple things my wishes almost always came true. Johanne found most of the pennies in the washing machine.
Part 1.
It was just a month or so after I turned 50. It was early in the morning and I was biking to work. 40 blocks from our home in the Haight up some of the steepest hills in town to my place of work. I biked to and from work every day, rain or shine. I loved my job. It was a busy career and I was well paid. I had worked for the same company for over 30 years and had advanced thru the ranks. Moving was a big part of my life and career, having transferred 9 times all over North America. So that morning I was enjoying my ride until a dark cloud settled in on my mind. I thought I was having some kind of a spell. I had to pull over. I was having a panic attack maybe, or a heart attack? I had one thought stuck in my mind. The thought was simple but profound. It was the thought that having just turned 50, I most likely have more days behind me on this planet than ahead of me and “what was I going to do with the rest of my life” – I had absolutely no answer, just that simple screaming question. I recall thinking about this a short while later and I told myself the probable answer. I could probably do whatever I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The problem was – I didn’t want to do anything else.
Or so I thought at the time.
Part 2.
A couple of months had passed since my morning panic attack, it was long behind me and it was the weekend. Johanne was out of town working and Mealsa our dog and I were out for a long walk in Corona Heights. It was a foggy morning. Well dogs are social beings and my dog found another dog to say hello to. Attached to the dog was a beautiful lady. I don’t usually talk to strangers but I felt compelled to say something. So I asked her what her dogs name was and she reciprocated. They I asked her what her name was and what did she do for a living, kind of a strange question for someone you just met. Well she told me her name was Melissa and she was a coach. I said what sport do you coach? She said I don’t coach a sport I coach people, I’m a life coach. I said “life coach” what’s that? And I didn’t really know. For the next hour we had a most remarkable conversation that I will never forget. She asked a lot of questions about my life, I felt like she opened me up like no one had ever done before. She listened to me like no one had done before. We talked a lot about the field of coaching, I was very interested to learn where she trained, the stories she told me about her clients and the work they did fascinated me. At the end of our conversation I asked her, “do you think I could do what you do and be a coach”? She said, I use to be a hairdresser, what do you think? We both laughed. We said good bye and went our separate ways. I went home and goggled her and found her web site, sent her a note of thanks. And that was that or so I thought….
Part 3.
Fast forward a couple of months and Johanne and I had just returned from an amazing 17 day trip to Italy. The following Monday, April fool’s day I returned to work. About 10am my phone rang and it was my colleague the Human Resources Director. She said come to my office and tell me all about Italy and bring your Ipad, I want to see your pictures. She was Italian and a good friend so I thought nothing of the request. I went to her office and we had a great chat about our trip. About 20 minutes into the conversation she said something odd, she said, you don’t know why you’re here do you? I immediately knew something was up. I said what do you mean? She said, while you were away we have been discussing your job and the owners had a meeting with the vice president and they don’t like you and they want you gone! I was floored, WHAT!, I said they don’t like any of us… why are they picking on me. One thing led to another and it was clear that the owners and my vice president thought I should move on, quit my job. I’m from Canada and we don’t quit our jobs we get a package. Well as it turns out California is a “right to work state” and there are no packages. At least this is what I was told. For 3 weeks this went on and I was quickly becoming a mess. I really didn’t understand what the problem was. Financially the business was doing very well, I was the financial leader of the business, my departments audit and employee engagement scores were great, I had a super team and I really felt like I was getting a raw deal. The owners and their people were a challenge but that’s the work I did and as far as I was concerned I had done nothing wrong. So… after a couple of weeks of this I went to see a lawyer. He asked for some employment documents and he advised me that he was pretty sure he could get me a severance package. What was I to do? My employer was not offering me a package and they said they would not fire me but I should just leave…. This situation was unacceptable and I was quickly losing any self worth and confidence, I could no longer focus and do my job with this enormous pressure over me. The agreement I had with my lawyer was, he would send my vice president a letter saying he would represent me to negotiate a severance. The letter was to be sent on Friday morning at 11am unless I phoned him to call it off. My wife was very concerned about my plan and wanted me to find another way out of this mess. I didn’t see any other alternatives. I had spoken to my corporate vice president and the owner’s representative and neither were any help. So I went to bed the night before the planned lawyer action with a very confused and sad outlook on my day ahead. Well Friday morning came and I got up as usual and got ready for work. As always I rode my bike to work. I clearly remember getting my saddle bags and gear organized and having this enormous feeling of doubt about what I was going to do. Call it off and continue in limbo or fire myself and try to negotiate a severance package. This is insane, how did all of this happen? I didn’t sleep much at all the night before, but I had to get to work. So I got on my bike and I started peddling. I made it a couple of blocks and stopped in the middle of the Panhandle Park. I stopped and I prayed. I prayed for god to give me direction, to give me a sign about what to do. I got back on my pedals and off I went. Pennies. Well about 30 blocks into my ride I saw a penny in the middle of the street, I stopped and picked it up. It was excited, a sign, right. I immediately thanked god for giving me this sign, I made a wish and put the penny in my pocket. Back on my bike, up the hill I went. Three blocks later I found another penny right in my path. I had found pennies before while cycling to work but never 2, this was surely the sign that what I needed to do was be brave and follow thru on the plan with my lawyer. I was thrilled with 2 pennies. Back on my bike I went and 4 blocks later I found a 3rd penny, OMG what was the universe trying to tell me. I knew and I was so thankful for the message. I got to work, I packed up some of my personal stuff and around 10:30 that morning I had meeting with my assistant and told him what was up. I left the building shortly after and go back on my bike and peddled home.
Epilog.
I’m not at liberty to discuss the results that were created with my lawyers help but that was almost 3 years ago. Since then I attended and graduated from coaching school. I started my own business and I coach individuals and deliver workshops mostly in the business field I was in. My life is amazing. My wife and I recently moved to southern California and we both have our own business and it’s not always easy but it’s all ours and I love it. So the moral of this story is; there is a path that unfolds for you in life, you just need to follow it. Take the chances and don’t look back. Be brave and run right at what you want. What you’re looking for in this life is looking for you.