Advice From A CEO: A Story About Truth, Manipulation, and Questioning Your Thoughts

In this week's episode of Advice From a CEO on Reflect Forward, I share a story about an email exchange between two BMX moms that made me reflect on my own advice about speaking up, keeping it real, and being invested in relationships and outcomes with people I don't know. And I helped my son learn a profound lesson on why it's important to own your actions, and not manipulate people. Then I dive into not believing everything you think, Have you ever stopped to question your thoughts? Where did this thought come from? Why do I think this way? Is this thought even true? It’s a powerful moment when you wake up and realize that the way you think might not be the truth. In fact, it’s probably not THE truth. Questioning your thoughts is extremely powerful and brings more accurate self-awareness. Yes, it can create discomfort, especially when challenging your belief systems, but eye-opening and life-changing. Not believing that your thoughts are true, that your way is the only way, can lead you to new perspectives, new ways of thinking, to stretch yourself, and most importantly as a leader, to making better decisions. Not believing everything you think allows you to make room for other people’s ideas and solutions. It cultivates tolerance, acceptance, and compromise. It helps you be a better person, parent, and leader. The question of the episode comes from someone on LinkedIn, and he says, “Kerry, it seems like you are living your purpose. You are so fortunate, and I want to be living my purpose through my work, too. How did you figure this out? Great question. For me, purpose comes from a combination of things: being of service to others, trying new things, stretching myself around my strengths and weaknesses, and being good at what I do. In my opinion, this is how you bring value to the world. Purpose isn’t something that suddenly appears -at least not for most; it’s something that evolves. It’s deeply personal and can’t be handed to you. I found mine through learning what I didn’t want to do, almost killing myself due to addiction, taking risks, joining a company where the culture was a good fit, and working my ass off—and continuously iterating. Looking back through years of journaling, one thread has always been there: my desire - my purpose, is to be an impactful leader who helps people create more meaningful lives themselves. If you want to find purpose in what you do, I suggest doing these things: Try new things so you can learn what you like and don’t like. Take some risks so you can expand your boundaries, build a tribe of people who support and believe in you, never stop learning and expanding your thinking and worldview, don’t be afraid to change, and finally, work hard. Mastery leads to purpose. Listen to the entire episode for insights and actionable takeaways.