When I was asked to contribute to the new and revamped Toast Magazine, I asked General Manager Sherry Lee, “What is the purpose of Toast?” To which she replied, in short, “It’s a guide to celebration.” Needless to say, I immediately agreed.
Why, you may ask? Well, simply put, I have so much in my life to celebrate. I’m excited about life and all the possibility. Aren’t you?
So, let me give you a quick back story of myself and get right into it. I was born in Regina, Saskatchewan; my parents immigrated here from the Philippines. Growing up, I had a lot of feelings of being different from my peers. I experienced an undertone of insecurity and constant comparison. I went through life this way and along the way, picked up drugs and alcohol, which led me down a very dark path.
Fast forward to 2006, when I was at my lowest point in life. Riddled with shame, guilt, despair, depression and anxiety, I was literally burning my life to the ground. Until that special day that I ended up in the hospital; I say special because it was at that point I had an inkling of what could be possible if I changed my life around.
From that moment in the hospital, I spoke out to the universe and declared that if I were to survive and continue to live, I would spend the rest of my life serving others. And well, that’s what I have been doing ever since. Coming out of rehab, the only possibility for me at that time was a customer service position in a large corporation.
After excelling in the position, I was invited to join the small business sales team, where I was recognized as the top sales person in Canada for three consecutive years. Who would have thought that was possible, right? I did! I was later headhunted to other corporations and ended up managing large business accounts of 1,000 employees or more.
Having tons of success and everything “perfect” on paper, I found myself really dispassionate and unhappy in my career. It became so hard for me to be motivated to go to work. Maybe some of you can relate?
So I asked myself, “What else is possible?” During my time in the corporate world, I spent a lot of time serving and helping others who struggled with addiction as I did. I realized how passionate I was when helping people. Witnessing and participating in a person’s transformation lit me up! Then I knew. I knew I wanted to be in a position to help people. Not just in the realm of addiction, but people in general. You see, we say in the addiction space that the drugs or the alcohol are but a symptom of the problem. Well, I know a ton of people that have similar problems, just not the same symptomatology.
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Many people experience fear, unworthiness, insecurity, lack of confidence, disempowering beliefs, guilt, procrastination, confusion, doubt… the list could go on. And generally, these things can truly limit someone from living a life of possibility and empowerment. Maybe you’re nodding your head while reading this.
So, long story short, I saw the possibility in serving and having an impact in people’s lives. I left my corporate gig to pursue a career in coaching. I spent hundreds of hours learning some of the world’s most powerful tools in creating quick and lasting change.
I’ve had the honour and privilege of coaching and training hundreds of individuals and organizations around the world — from Australia, Europe, Canada, U.S.A. and people from different walks of life. I’ve coached actors, athletes, executives, couples, teenagers and entrepreneurs. Today I get to celebrate a life of purpose, service, fun, love, success and so much more. From a guy who was in despair and literally dying. Imagine that!
One sure thing that I’ve noticed over the years is that human beings are amazing if they so choose to be. It starts from a place of possibility. If you’re not living a life that you absolutely love (not to be confused with perfect), but a life you are passionate about — whether in your career, relationships, family or physical health — begin with asking yourself seriously, “what else is possible for me?” As a generalization, people are so quick to dismiss the possibility of creating a life they desire, and the moment they realize they are so much more than this limited thinking, possibility is born.
Take a moment right now, and think about how in the past you didn’t even realize that what you have now was possible…
Now that’s something to celebrate!
Until next time,
Joe
