How to Live Large Wherever You Are Planted
I have noticed something after doing dozens of programs and speaking to thousands of people: Most people don’t want a great big, huge, giant life in the limelight. They don’t want center stage. They don’t want the world watching their every move. (Frankly, most of us don’t even want the world to watch our grocery cart.)
What they do want is to live life on their own terms—in their communities, with their people—without having to broadcast it to everyone. And yet, they still want to make a difference. They still want to matter.
That desire to “play big” inside the life you already have is why I’ve started weaving the concept of executive presence into my programs—how you show up, how you lead yourself, and how you make your ordinary days count.
After realizing sometime in my early 20s that I was not, in fact, destined to become the first woman president of the United States (turns out you need more than enthusiasm and a decent pantsuit), I started thinking this way.
When I was a stay-at-home mom, I asked myself, “How can I be the best stay-at-home mom right now?” Later, when I negotiated a part-time position at The Ford Plantation so I could work and still be home with our children, I asked the same question.
Wherever I was planted—home, work, or somewhere in between—I tried to live as large as I could within that moment. Lord knows I wasn’t perfect, but at least I was intentional. (And sometimes intentional was just making sure no one ate Goldfish crackers for dinner…again.)
That’s what I love about this mindset: You can let go of the “should bes” and “if onlys” and grow right where God has placed you today.
Here are three things I have learned to do over the years so that I can live large wherever I am planted:
Show up with intention. Decide how you want to show up each day—for me, it’s confident and curious—and carry that into every interaction.
Give your best to what’s in front of you. You don’t need a stage. Excellence in small, everyday moments is what builds a meaningful life.
Stop comparing your growth to someone else’s. This is the hardest for me to remember. Your purpose is planted in your life—not someone else’s. Focus on thriving in your season.
So, let me ask you this: How will you live large today right where you’re planted?