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TAMPA BAY • FEBRUARY 23-24 2026

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Lessons Worth Learning are Worth Sharing

Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.

—Stephen Covey

It was about the age of 45 that I started reflecting on my lessons learned that I wanted to pass down to our now young adult children or anyone that might benefit…

I wrote each one out and countered my thinking to their current life experience. My hope was to not ‘nag’ but coach and inspire. The big question:

Do younger people really learn from those who walked before? Or do they gain more insight from those they walk with…stumble, roll and break open? Is it generational? Or a more expansive landscape on a human level?

Not sure, but what I do know for sure; the life I have walked has had degrees of pure joy, raw heartbreak, intense introspection, sudden loss, personal judgement, utter disappointment, and a solid grounding beyond comprehension. All holding something inside me that felt worth sharing.

So, for my children, for every person that I have walked before or anyone who might gain insight … this is for you.

Know yourself, love yourself; settle into yourself

It’s not about what other people think about YOU, it is what YOU think about YOU. It is about feeling comfortable in your own skin and enjoying your own company. Listen with your heart, and your true self will emerge. When you settle for yourself, you will never settle for anyone who is not themselves.

Find your faith…

Find quiet moments in your day to pray, meditate or just be still. Trust there is something outside of yourself that is ever-present and powerful. Choose faith over failure. If you have faith, you have hope, and when you have hope you always see a way. When you see a way, you never give up. And no matter what, never ever give up!

Practice compassion daily…

When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes it will change your perspective. Take yourself out of yourself and feel their pains or their joy; it will broaden your view of the world. Remember, your world is much bigger than the sandbox you are playing in right now. No matter the personal crisis you may be facing. There are people in the world who are suffering beyond your comprehension. Compassion is critical and perspective is necessary.

Listen to the whisper, the churn in your belly, and the goosebumps on your arms

Pay close attention. Those sensations are not sensations at all, they are you speaking – it is your heart. Don’t listen to the second voice, that is just doubt, and definitely don’t listen to the third voice, that is just someone else’s opinion.  Your intellect is a great source for information, but your heart knows your truth. Slow down and pay attention. Bottom line – trust your instincts.

Keep your mind and body healthy and whole…

Go to the gym, take a yoga class, find a running track…Find something that keeps your mind and body connected, healthy, and working together, because, in the times when everything else seems disconnected, it will keep you centered and grounded. Your physical wellness is the starting and ending point to everything In-between.

Use your words

Find the confidence to speak your truth gently and powerfully. “Don’t shrink, don’t puff up – just stand your ground”. Use your words to express your courage, make personal connections and share your compassion.

Find your gift

God put you on this Earth to share your gifts. Take yourself out of your comfort zone. Learn as much as you can, read as much as you can, dance as much as you can, listen as much as you can, do as much as you can, travel as much as you can because that’s how you will find it. It’s already inside of you, you just need to spark it, so ignite as many flames as you can, and notice which one keeps burning. Your gift is your legacy, the legacy that will help serve the world

If you only remember one thing, remember this: You are the most important person in the whole world…

There is only ONE you and you are unique. You will be the change you want in this world because of who you are and the gifts you bring. You are a powerful force in this universe, and the world needs you. You will be the one to determine your own direction, and if you trust your own compass, you will always remain on your path. And when you look back on your life you will see the wake of a life well-lived.

If anything here resonates or feels like a fit – take it with you.

If I am reminding you of what you already know – take it with you.

If this is new and maybe a bit uncomfortable, just sit in the space and please take it with you…. If you wish.

One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.

—Abraham Maslow

Carolyn Lebanowski
Carolyn Lebanowski
Carolyn began her professional career in retail and grew to become an experienced and respected senior-level executive with expertise in strategic development, organizational communication, and executive coaching. After nearly three decades of career growth in corporate organizational development, Carolyn was ready for a career change—and a life change. This led to a new role and the most challenging, enriching, and rewarding work of her life, as a Strategic Business Leader for nonprofit spiritual institutions. As Executive Director and Chief Opportunity Officer for 2 large organizations, it gave her the opportunity to fuse the professional and the personal, aligning her business acumen with her spiritual identity and passion for the development of human potential—in her colleagues, in her community, and in herself. Carolyn is a writer who seeks above all to share from the heart. Her impulse to write began 20 years ago with letters to her children and grew into journaling that was unedited and life-affirming. Today she writes with a focus on raw, authentic, and lived experience, to explore, express, and make sense of the pain and joy, and struggles and triumphs, of life. In all her endeavors, she champions connection, integrity, and radical positivity. Today, Carolyn is a published author and a Columnist/Featured Contributor at BIZCATALYST 360° and is living in Cascais, Portugal.

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8 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Great encouragement here Carolyn
    It encapsulates the very birthright of dignity we all have. To be encouraged to know and identify with this right is directly introduced, or lack there of..by what we are born into…

    I do believe that we are greatly influenced by the environment and nurtured by the ones who we are in contact with, and this varies across the board. When and if we do figure out it’s ok to love yourself and honour this value, then it is our job to pass it in to the younger ones especially.

    I did write a piece on this you might like It is in my Bizcatalyst360 profile, titled “What You Grow Into”… just an FYI

    I really enjoyed that you mentioned many ways we can harness the best self ever, as we are our own best friends. Self love is critical, and most fundamental

    Thank you so much for this positive and well needed article.
    Paula

  2. You are touching on such a loaded subject for us whose children have grown up in a different place with different values than where their parents grew up, Carolyn.

    I love every subject you touched. And I am sure that if such words are in accordance with the way we live, our children will know. If not, the words will not make a difference unless we also share what makes it so difficult to live by them. And then try harder.

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