I arrived at the coffee shop on the first floor of her apartment building in Arlington, Virginia, early. Dory Hollander made her appearance on time, as always, and dressed to the nines. I admired her effort. We both knew this would be our last meeting. Cancer would take her within a few weeks.
Dory Hollander had been my business coach for almost all the years it took me to scale my consulting firm and successfully take it through a liquidity event. She was more than a coach. She was at times a family therapist helping me and my partners avoid implosion. I had learned to trust her advice and over time she became a friend.
As we came to the end of our reminiscing about our trials, tribulations, and eventually victory in the realm of business building I could see fatigue setting in and I knew it was time to say goodbye. Before we parted, Dory said, “So aren’t you going to ask me?”
“Ask you what?”
“Aren’t you going to ask me what final advice I have for you, Chris?”
So I did. “Dory, what is your final advice to me?”
She replied, “It’s the same advice my teacher gave to me when I asked him that question just before he died. In all those years since, I have not been able to improve upon it.”
I leaned in. Dory said four words. “Be intentional. Persist variously.” I said, “That’s it?” And she said, “Yes.” That was the last time I saw her alive.
Being intentional.
That was six years ago. And I totally get it now. Intention is more than a stated desire. Intention is the key that unlocks all the gifts the universe has to offer.
Here’s a scenario that everyone can relate to. You tell a friend you might like to travel to Africa someday, and they might respond, “So let’s go get a beer.” But tell someone that you have decided to go to the Massa Mara in Kenya, and they might say, “Oh, you must call Cindy and Lisa at Virgin Bush. They are the ultimate guides in that region. Here is their number.”
Read more on… The Life-Changing Advice My Business Coach Gave Me Right Before She Died
Author: Chris McGoff
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