By Penny Power – Business Author & Human-Centred Speaker
This week, I want to share something that’s been quietly unfolding in my mind, a long ponder.
I’m 62 now. And I’ve been reflecting on how my life has turned out.
Here’s the truth: I’m hugely grateful that certain fundamental things happened in the right order. My family. My children. Building businesses with Thomas. Finding my purpose.
But many things? They have not taken the turns I was quietly, subconsciously expecting.
That might sound familiar to you.
The Book That Changed My Perspective
Years ago, our son Ross shared a book with us as a family called “Life is in the Transitions” by Bruce Feiler.
I enjoyed the high-level message at the time. But recently, I felt it was time to actually read it properly.
I ordered the book and also watched an excellent TED talk by Bruce Feiler on YouTube. He has studied people and their life patterns. It’s powerful.
Here’s what Feiler did:
He spent three years traveling across 50 states, capturing hundreds of life stories. He conducted 1,000 hours of interviews, creating 6,000 pages of transcripts. He hired a team of 12 people to code the stories, looking for patterns in how we live.
And his conclusion?
Linear life is dead.
The idea of a predictable path, school, university, career, marriage, children, retirement, death, is historically an anomaly. It’s outdated. And it’s affecting how we look at our own lives.
Feiler found that the average person experiences three to five “life quakes” in their lifetime.
Not just small disruptions. Major upheavals. Moments where everything shifts and you have to rebuild.
And if that’s normal… then maybe we need to redefine what normal life journeys actually are and how we spend it with others.
The Loneliest Lie We Tell Ourselves
Here’s what I believe is one of the kindest human acts we can offer each other:
Truth.
Truth about where we are in life.
Truth about what’s happening in our lives.
Truth about the mess, the uncertainty, the unexpected turns.
Because the loneliest part of life is when you believe that shit only happens to you.
When you think everyone else has it figured out.
When you think you’re the only one whose plan fell apart.
When you think you’re the only one navigating a life quake or a disruptor.
But when we share with others who have the same mindset of openness and honesty, whether they’re sharing experiences from their past or happening right now, we create the most beautiful exchange.
Empathy.
Deep support.
And the realization that we are all experiencing a modern set of challenges
Life is happening to us, we are experiencing a normal human life
and we’re all figuring this out as we go.
AI is a case study of a shared disruptor
What I’ve witnessed in BIP100 is the power of sharing disruption together.
One of the greatest achievements we’ve had with our members in BIP100 is the way we’ve navigated the introduction of AI into our business lives together.
The empathy.
The laughter.
The sharing of knowledge.
The growth of skills.
The innovation that’s emerged.
This could only have happened because the culture of BIP100 is established.
No one is trying to be better, bigger, or cleverer than anyone else.
No one is outwitting the other.
No one is left behind in this AI business transformation.
And what’s wonderful?
It hasn’t cost more than time to gain the knowledge.
Because people want to share and care for one another.
Because we’re all in this mad, messy world together, with positive attitudes about what’s possible.
Modern Life Is Not Predictable
Sometimes we go through challenges together, like the AI revolution, like a pandemic, like economic uncertainty.
Sometimes it’s just our own stuff, a health scare, a relationship breakdown, a career shift, a loss. Nothing is unique though.
What we all need to journey through is one another.
Making us all feel normal in our fears, our bumps, our bruises, and our desire to be better each day. To face the challenges with a positive mind and heart.
Life lived alone in business is tough.
Life lived feeling that you are the only one experiencing it is even tougher.
The Kindest Human Act
The kindest thing you can do is be yourself and allow others in.
And to be there with honesty about your own life when they ask for help.
Two people or a collective of people managing a non-linear life together.
So don’t go it alone. Be proud of the expertise and gifts you have, and know that all the other stuff that knocks us over is not about your expertise, it’s about things we didn’t expect to navigate, and how would we know how to if this is our first time. Ask for help when you’re in a life quake, in a messy period of life.
Because there is nothing like sharing that helps us all feel normal.
And normal is good.
This Week, I Invite You to Ponder:
What “life quakes” have you experienced?
How many major upheavals or transitions have reshaped your path?
Are you still holding onto the myth of the linear life?
Are you judging yourself against a version of “normal” that no longer exists?
Who are you navigating this non-linear life with?
Do you have your people? Your community? Your truth-tellers?
What would it feel like to share where you really are?
Not the polished version. The honest version.
And what if “normal” simply means being human… together?
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