#16—Now it's dusty

(Scene 1) Mom, "gets her hair done" in a permanent, generally every six weeks. Funny to be called a permanent when it kept needing to be redone.

(Scene 2) Standing on the site of a ruined Carthaginian temple on the island of Sicily, an edifice of a once great empire rivaling Rome . The temple was a labor of many. A center of worship, celebrating the strength of their civilization. Gone.

(Scene 3) A long ago wise one, Qoholeth , declares all is "a chasing of the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Qoholeth's conclusion observes the life of King Solomon and all that he accomplished. The accomplishments were unraveling already, even as Solomon continued building.

(Scene 4) My high school and college alma mater are closed. The buildings are torn down. Were there no surviving alumni, the memory of these institutions would be completely vaporized.

Going deeper with the band Kansas and their take on Qoholeth's words.

(Scene 5) Several places I worked across my career are shuttered, merged, rolled up, sold, or fundamentally altered. The company I founded is now in the hands of others who will grow, shrink, expand, contract, sell, or acquire themselves.

None of this crumbling into dust ultimately matters.

What is does not match with what will be.

All that I and my successors build will one day be as those temple ruins on Sicily.

There is no sorrow in this.

Embracing it brings freedom.

Freedom to fully be.

Now.

In My Backpack: The Third Turn Journal. Jennifer Miller, CEO of Strategically Connected, was instrumental in helping me launch Maestro-level leaders , a peer-based journey through planful succession for accomplished CEOs and company owners.? She was the inspiration behind this journal we now give to all our cohort participants when she gave me the first one as a gift, thanking me for the business I was sending her way. The design and inscription demonstrated her grasp of the mission and the core marketing message. I was so touched.

Mine is always in my backpack. Many participants bring theirs with them to our quarterly retreats as a place to record their learning.?The inscription on the inside cover reads:?

"Crafting deeper vision out of chaos, discerning and orchestrating future value, and leading with legacy."

A thousand times yes!

An Executive Advisor walking alongside accomplished executives in the third turn of their careers, Mark L. Vincent , Ph.D., EPC , loves leaders who love leaders.

He continues to grow his capacity for wise advising, artful facilitation, and client-specific presentations. Learn more about what commitment to the hope of our grandchildren's grandchildren looks like at www.maestrolevelleaders.com .

Mark has founded?Maestro-level leaders ,?Design Group International, ?and the?Society for Process Consulting , has authored a number of books including Listening Helping Learning , and?is a host of the?Third Turn Podcast .