When you ask the Universe clearly for an answer it always delivers. I know I have said this many times but I am always surprised when I find an answer without really looking for it. When it just appears out of the blue. When I am least expecting it.

Yesterday I was thinking a lot about how I can become more like the leaders I look up to, those I aspire to be like. People like Oprah, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and others that I consider to be modern day light bringers. How I need to change direction to become more like them. And then I was drawn to an article written about a man I had forgotten all about. And it was an uplifting and eye opening tribute to this man who I believe set many of us on a truth seeking journey in the corporate world. A man who blurred the lines between spiritualism and the corporate world way before it was fashionable to do so. A man who made me realize in order to be truly successful in the business world, I had to work on me. I had to incorporate my spiritual beliefs in my work life in order to understand and empathize with people I encounter. That man was Stephen Covey with his ground breaking book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

I am embarrassed to admit I had forgotten about Stephen Covey’s influence on my career. That I had cast him aside and moved on to the next wave of light bringers and seekers. So I am really glad that I was drawn to the article, “Stephen R. Covey Taught Me Not to Be Like Him” , written by Greg McKeown for the Harvard Business Review because it blew me away. Even from his grave, Stephen Covey’s light is still shining because through this article I got an answer loud and clear about how I am meant to be living my life. The particular line in the article that rattled me was, “Follow not in the footsteps of the masters, but rather seek what they sought.”

When I read that line I got goose bumps. That feeling that travels right down your spine and radiates throughout your whole being. That all knowing feeling when you know you have been answered by the Divine. And a light bulb went off in my head – letting me know I have to make my own footprints in this life. I cannot walk in anyone else’s. I have to continue to seek what they sought but on my own terms and according to my own strengths and weaknesses. According to the lessons I am meant to learn and teach.

In other words, I need not compare myself to anyone else. All I need is to continue seeking until all my lessons are done and then I move to another phase. And then the next and the next. As long as I accept I am as I am. Who I am. That I am. Both Seeker and Bringer. Student and Teacher. Light and Darkness.
Thank you Steven Covey for the reminder. Thank you Greg McKeown for bringing Steven Covey to my mind again. And thank you Universe and the Divine for once again prodding me to know when I ask in a clear and concise way the answer is always given.

Rest in Peace Steven Covey. In gratitude for your life and light. A light that still shines on.

***About Catherine Duffy – A woman in search of truth. A wife trying to love unconditionally. A mother trying to raise good citizens. A writer bursting through. Enjoying life’s journey.  Catherine can be found @duffy_catherine and on her blog from Bermuda · http://bermudacat.blogspot.com.