What the Last Line of My Book Can Help You Uncover

Hi friends,

I suppose I should preface this newsletter with “Spoiler Alert”, but I really want to share the last line of Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling with you:

“For me, it was and always has been about building something great—something that had not been there before, whether a company, a career, or an avocation. None of us knows what comes next after we die, so make the most of your time here to do something great with your life and for the world!”

I don’t know about you, but throughout my life I’ve always tried to be in forward motion.?

Whenever I felt like I was stuck in quicksand, I didn’t waste any time looking for the way out!?

If you’ve been following me for a while or if you’ve read my book, you know that I was a 20-year-old, single mom living on welfare in a trailer park. My first husband was a hippie and one day he just decided he didn’t want to be married anymore and left.?

At that point in my life, I hadn’t gone to college, and no one would hire a woman with only a high school education.? Especially a woman who was the only caretaker for her 3-year-old son.?

My prospects were limited, and my savings were dwindling down to my last pennies.?

On paper, I should have been destined for a life of small means, never venturing far from the trailer park.?

But that’s not the life I wanted. I wanted to build something great.?

I knew I only had one shot at my life, and I wasn’t about to let it pass by without doing everything I could do to make it a life worth living.?

So how can you make the most of your one life? The answer lies in having a North Star to guide your way.?

What is a North Star?

A North Star is more than a goal or set of goals. It’s more closely akin to a vision and mission statement for your career and life. Your North Star is shaped by your personal values. It provides a set of principles or priorities to guide your steps, even if you feel like sometimes you’re meandering clumsily through the darkness.?

So when you set your North Star and begin to follow it, you create a path to the great life you want to live.

Finding a North Star for your career?

There’s no single process to finding your North Star. It starts with an honest self-assessment of your values and life goals, asking yourself:

• What gives me personal and professional purpose??
• What do I find most fulfilling about my work?
• What impact do I hope to have through my work?
• What legacy do I hope to leave behind?
• Where do I hope to be in five years? 10 years? By retirement??

Take those inputs and determine a potential North Star to follow. You’ll know it's a good one when it inspires and scares you a bit. It should reflect your desires for impact in your family, your organization/professional community, and the world. It should be achievable, but not easy. Because the easy road will only lead to mediocre, not great.?

Can a North Star change?

Just like the stars in the sky, your North Star may shift with time as your professional and personal goals evolve. Like your ambitions, beliefs, and preferences, your North Star can change. And that’s okay.?

After having children, my perspective of what’s most important changed. I reflected on my values and shifted my North Star to guide my steps at that time. As my children grew, my North Star continued to evolve.?

Some of the North Stars in my life have included:

• Earning enough money as a single mom to support my young son and myself
• Graduating from college and landing a first “real” job
• Becoming an engineer
• Becoming a senior manager
• Becoming a CEO and running a vibrant company?
• Becoming a competitive equestrian
• Raising an award-winning dairy cow
• Publishing a book about the lessons I have learned over the course of my life

All of these North Stars have helped me build a great life and make my time on this Earth the best it can be!?

Tips for following your North Star

Throughout my life and career, my North Star(s) have guided my decisions and led me where I wanted to go. Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way:

• Start small and build on your foundation. At first, you don’t have to identify the brightest North Star in your sky. If you feel intimidated and prefer to focus on a smaller vision, establish it as your North Star and do what you need to do to reach it. You can build upon it later.

• Ask for help. Once you establish your North Star, seek the experts who can help you reach it, align them to your mission, and then take action. No one has to travel alone and you will go farther with help.

• Persistence is crucial. Setbacks are inevitable. Don’t give up on your quest. If you encounter a dead end in your maze, find an alternate route.

• Don’t become distracted. Think about your North Star constantly and don’t allow yourself to become distracted and lose sight of your path. If it helps, write what your North Star is on a piece of paper, frame it, and display it in a prominent place.?

• Feet turn into miles. As your North Star is likely a long-term mission, you might think you’re progressing too slowly. Focus on what you can realistically achieve within the next week, month, and year that can bring you closer to your destination.

• Always take advantage of opportunities. Say “yes” to relevant side quests on your journey to your North Star. New opportunities can enhance your journey, reveal new insights into your abilities, and potentially reveal a better path.?

Making the Most of This Life

Even in my seventies, I still strive to move forward and follow a North Star. Currently, I’m CEO of Henry Schein One , and my current North Star is to ensure its transformation and success, and that I develop new talent that can take on critical leadership roles within the company.?

As I reflect on the North Stars I’ve mapped, worked towards, and reached throughout my life, I am filled with pride at what I’ve accomplished.?

20-year-old me couldn’t fully see the life that would unfold before her, but with determination, persistence, and the desire to build something great, she followed her North Star to a destination she could only have dreamt about.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. What is your North Star? Share in the comments of this article!?

Before you go:

1. Order a copy of Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling, where I share 12 critical lessons I’ve learned throughout my life and career that can help you find success. If you already have a copy, consider gifting a copy to someone who could use the inspiration!?
2. Leave a review for the book on Amazon! Reviews are extremely helpful for new books, so if you can take two minutes to share your thoughts it would really support the future of the message.?

Sincerely,

Chris King?