Jim Williams
“The work I did with Ray identified strong needs for me around artistic and creative pursuits. I also tested extremely high in the need for autonomy. But here’s the thing…It’s been years since I have felt this jazzed about what I am doing. I feel in control of my own destiny. This feels right.”
I would definitely recommend the CoreThemes process for those looking to better understand themselves. At the same time, I would say that it may not be for everybody.
Why do I say that? Well, you just might decide to reinvent yourself and that can require a lot of courage.
Like counseling or therapy, CoreThemes work causes you to truly confront yourself, not just who you are in terms of the role you have played throughout whatever career you have been in, but who you are as a person. What makes you tick? What are your passions? What motivates you? What must exist in your work and in your life for you to be happy?
“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” — George Eliot
The CoreThemes process through diagnostic testing, through thinking and writing assignments, and through lots of dialogue — helps you to clarify the answers to these questions and others.
However, for me and perhaps for others, gaining that clarity was the easier part. The harder part was deciding what to with this information, this newfound clarity. There is an old expression, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. In many ways, Ray Inglesi led me to the water. I might even take the analogy a step further and say the Ray led me to the edge of a cliff.
After 22 years of successful work as a human resource professional in corporate environments, I suddenly found myself unhappy and unmotivated. A new manager, one too many reorganizations, and changing company values all added to my waning engagement in the work I did. It was time for a change; I just didn’t know what.
The work I did with Ray identified strong needs for me around artistic and creative pursuits. I also tested extremely high in the need for autonomy. Throughout the process, Ray kept holding up the mirror to me, feeding my own words back to me. He also encouraged me to read several books like, “The Power of Myth,” by Bill Moyers (interviewing Joseph Campbell) and “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coehlo. These and other book and movie recommendations reinforced the message that you should follow your bliss and chase your dreams.
Ray, at times, sounded like a broken record, continuing to make statements like, “I don’t understand why, with life so short, people choose to spend their time doing what they don’t want to do”. And Ray’s wasn’t the only voice — my wife and other friends were also encouraging me to move in new directions.
Still, as I stood at the edge of that cliff, which represented new horizons but an unknown future, my fears (clutter) kicked in. I told myself that I should go back to what I know, to what I’ve been successful at, to what is safe. So, I somewhat ignored all the advice, the reading, the clarity and the core themes; I started sending resumes out to find another job in human resources. The problem was that every time I would send a resume, I kept hoping I wouldn’t get a call. That was information in and of itself.
I found myself back at the edge of the cliff. Ultimately, I had to reach this decision myself. I’m reminded of that scene in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” when Indiana Jones stands over a crevasse that separates him from the Holy Grail. He has to take a step into the air, which is a leap of faith. He does and he does not fall.
So that’s what I did.
I have leased a studio space and am reinventing myself as a practicing artist. I have also set myself up as a business to market not only my paintings but reproductions of the paintings on various products. I have the support of my wife and good friends. I have a lot to learn. I will make a lot of mistakes. I’m not sure if this will be successful or not.
But here’s the thing… It’s been years since I’ve felt this jazzed about what I am doing. I feel in control of my own destiny. This feels right. I feel alive and excited about the future.
I came across a couple quotes, which I have displayed on the wall of my studio. One says:
“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘WOW What a Ride!’” — Unknown