In a blog post related to being more than you think you can be, adapted from his new book The Earned Life, the renowned leadership expert and bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith talks about how many of us have heard at some point in our lives a call to be more than we are — the “You Can Be More” speech.
Goldsmith writes, “Each of us has been hearing a variation of the ‘You Can Be More’ speech all our lives. In one form or another, it was an essential component of your parent’s cheerleading repertoire whenever they were enthralled with you or disappointed. It’s a speech you need to hear at regular intervals in your life.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, must have heard several times in his life that he could be more than he was. This might have been why he decided to run for president of Ukraine several years ago, after a successful career as an actor, including the lead of a hit television show in which he played a politician.
But since the war began, Zelensky has become more than even he himself might have imagined. He refused to seek refuge abroad when Russia attacked, and he rallied his people and then much of the free world to defy an invasion of his country ordered by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
In The Earned Life Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crises, including regrets that stem from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroute destinies, and haunt our memories. These are particularly timely themes today.
With Goldsmith’s book as a guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life that is fulfilling in the long run.
You can read Marshall Goldsmith’s blog here.
About MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
Marshall Goldsmith has been recognized for years as the world’s leading executive coach and the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Mojo, and Triggers. He received his Ph.D. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In his coaching practice, Goldsmith has advised more than 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He and his wife live in Nashville, Tennessee.
About THE EARNED LIFE
In THE EARNED LIFE (Currency Books), Marshall Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crisis: regret, the kind stemming from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroutes destinies, and haunts our memories—particularly timely themes as the pandemic and Great Resignation inspire people to seek meaning in their lives, get unstuck and make changes. With this book as their guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life too fulfilling to dwell on the “what ifs.”
If you’d like more information on Marshall Goldsmith, The Earned Life, and his work, please get in touch with Lyda Goldsmith.
