Shift from “One Day” to “DAY ONE”
I made the shift from "one day" to "DAY ONE"!
June 3, 2024 marks the 1st day of being full-time as Founder & Impact Leadership Catalyst at Upward & Inward. While this has been a seedling that has been growing within me for a long while, giving it time, attention, nourishment and it had already broken the surface ... it may now sprawl in directions of growth, bringing the vision into full reality!
With this change, I am certainly not running away from something, I am running toward something. I am running toward my own growth and our greater potential. It's absolutely true that the status quo and comfort zones have a strong gravitational pull. I had to gather courage capital and escape velocity over time. It's easy to say, "one day" and mean it, knowing the beauty of what you hold in your mind and heart. However, without ongoing deliberate action – big and small, it is just a dream that will remain unseen, and always be... "one day". No, this was not one abrupt change, but rather a lot of small shifts and longer-term, deep internal work I've been at for years below the visible surface. I was not sitting idle all this time – I was building skills, practicing, earning certifications, having conversations, laying the groundwork, gaining buy-in, and so much more. And just like that ... here we are – it's no longer "one day" it's "day one".
At Upward & Inward, we believe true leadership is not defined solely by position or authority but by the ability to inspire, influence, and drive transformative impact. The mission of Upward & Inward is to reignite Impact Leaders to leverage personal purpose through layers of connection, to create meaningful, positive change in themselves, their teams, their organizations, and the world.
We empower Impact Leaders from the inside out to achieve growth, radical collaboration, and purposeful productivity through introspection and aligned action.
We leverage the best of:
Cutting-edge leadership approaches
Behavior and organizational change
Human-centered systems thinking
Flow science principles
Psychology of Human Flourishing
Wellness as a foundation, with optimized whole health as an edge
Yes, I took the leap, and much like this picture of me skydiving, it is both terrifying AND exhilarating. I certainly feel alive! I long imagined how this would feel. And I know it's all fresh and I'll have to get back to you in a bit for updates. I've coached hundreds of entrepreneurs in moments of anxiety and am not going into this with rose-colored glasses. And yet, I'm so here for it.
Similar to this skydiving experience, I imagined leaving the "safety" of the plane to jump out voluntarily, how that drop in my stomach would hit, and how I would have to cling to courage. However, even though my heart was beating out of my chest, when I let go just slightly and allowed myself to fall, that drop in my stomach never came. In fact, to my surprise, I felt fully supported by the air around me, holding me up. And I did not have to do anything to make that happen – my letting go allowed this. I was able to take in the sights, the possibility, be fully in flow, and present with that moment of being alive. That is much more similar to my current feeling. I am well-resourced with personal experience, amazing people, and support. I can take on the challenges one at a time. I trust in me. And it's about so much more than me. It's not about me at all. It's about us, U&I. I trust that doing something worthwhile is in fact, worth it.
I wholeheartedly invite you to join me, #ImpactLeaders!
Thrive on!
Ari DeGrote
Founder | Impact Leadership Catalyst
