Waking up around 4.30 in the crack of dawn is never fun. No, my insomniac very early rising in the last several weeks cannot be attributed to jet lag. No transcontinental travel, no apparent major stress source (if you look hard enough, you’ll always find something), healthy as a horse – I have simply been waking up in the dark, doing some major heavy duty thinking.
With the energy level and brain activity at their highest, I stopped paying attention and just got used to conversing with the red digital dial smirking at me at almost exactly 4.32 am almost every day. How on earth does my internal alarm know to wake me up exactly the same time every morning? What does it know that I don’t?
But, then last Sunday I read the New York Times Just Manic Enough article and my a-ha moment blasted out: Slightly manic, having taken a huge – to me – risk, working extraordinarily hard to reap the rewards of my herculean efforts.
Whatever time I go to bed, I always wake up at 4.30! I write, I read, until 2-3 weeks ago hit the books on executive leadership and coaching for a few hours every day and all that has been on my head is my international coaching practice. And then, in the middle of everything – after 18 years, a new home and moving. And when this is done, I am getting ready to jump on a plane and fly to Greece after a one-year absence. Change, transition, more change and then even a bigger shift in the big Leda puzzle.
“Monomaniacal” in my pursuit a la Henry Ford, I have been following my gut for over a year. Not only have I wanted to branch out and leave my executive life, I also wanted to help people be even better in leading, managing, executing, getting to the fertile part of their brain – hence coaching.
As I am ready to go back to Europe, all I can think about is how I will contribute to the necessary change needed in Greece at the moment. Sacrifice is a big part of the game. Risk is also huge – but success is no longer about money. Meaning, significance, depth and the quality of the relationships I am having – these are the kinds of things I mostly care about.
And I am getting ready and eager and the energizer little bunny is off and ready to blast out – so, what if it’s 4.30 in the morning? After all, the day begins just then in Brasilia!
Leda Karabela’s career focus has been building alliances with and among institutional stakeholders, which spans 25 years of experience in international management, public affairs, strategic marketing and philanthropy. Her primary focus has been external audiences, such as opinion leaders, media, customers, and donors.
Today, she is bringing her executive experience into the field of coaching, realizing her passion for people, the ways they click and connect with each other, helping clients discover the power within them to improve their performance, effectiveness and reach. Having held responsibilities for global projects and working with virtual teams in multiple countries for Fortune 50 companies such as BP and Microsoft, she has also led the corporate relations program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has lived in Boston, San Francisco, London, Athens and Dubai.
