Stories of Resilience and Intentional Personal Growth
Dominic Vogel was single-minded about his career and where he intended to go with it. He's driven to help others, and his particular area of expertise is cyber security. When he started his dream job with a company he had confidence and trust in, he was absolutely focused on working his way into managing a team.
Dominic put ten years into this goal, rarely considering that it might not be what he wanted after all. And he did it. He was eventually promoted to the position he had worked so hard to get. But when he bumped into that wall - the realization that the company didn't live up to its mission and vision - he couldn't ignore it.
After only a year in the position he worked ten years to achieve, he was ready to leave. The company simply didn't practice the kind of human-focused business they said they did, and Dominic couldn't continue to separate his core values from those of the company. They had to align if he was going to be satisfied, productive, and effective. He knew he had to leave; his sense of responsibility to himself and to the company demanded it.
Now, a few years into self-employment, he truly lives his values. He no longer feels compelled to try to separate his personal and professional lives.
In the first few months following his resignation, Dominic began to really dig into his disappointment, and to focus on personal growth and self-reflection.
For most of his life, he didn't talk about his mother's struggles with mental illness, again, trying to separate and compartmentalize his life. It was two parts: Before adulthood vs. after adulthood. It wasn't until he left the company he had worked so hard for that he realized a big part of who he is and why he is successful is how he grew up, the struggles of being a kid of a mother with mental illness.
Those challenges are what make him resilient, compassionate, and responsible. They are also part of his sense of humor, which is a huge part of why he is able to share those experiences now, and can have such a huge positive impact on those lucky enough to know him.
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Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter, and visit his website to learn more!
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Sarah Elkins is a communication coach, keynote speaker, Gallup certified StrengthsFinder coach, professional musician, and author. Her book, Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will is based on lessons from hosting this podcast, and will be available for preorder beginning in early May, 2020.