The full story of Chuck Goetschel
Hope, the light when there is only darkness. When all goes wrong where do you turn? How do you ensue when life crashes down on you? Rewind, 12 years, I lost my wife, my family and my business; I lost EVERYTHING; all because I couldn’t turn a blind eye to a deceitful business scheme. I was offered a large payout to look the other way as the Ethics and Legal Board Member in the company. I learned that doing the right thing comes with a cost; sometimes a big one.
I had nothing to show from my 20 plus years of work. I was anxious and in despair. My father saw my anxiety and said, “you are not trusting your faith. When you are tested is when you must trust”. I returned to my roots. Romans 8: 28, “And we know in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. It was in those words that I found HOPE. Even in the midst of this disaster, I felt in my gut that all would be ok. I had a purpose in God’s plan.
I was no stranger to hard knocks. I was an Olympic hopeful in swimming. I made it as far as the Olympic trials and was a front runner for the team. That dream did not happen, which landed me here, in the midst of a business lawsuit. Things got so bad, I was even rejected in my effort to adopt a stray dog. How far do you need to fall for the stray dog to be deemed better off at the pound than with you? I was in a dingy studio apartment with all of my belongs in a black garbage bag, I truly went from luxury cars, worldwide first class travel and a beach house to owning the contents that fit in a black garbage bag. I came to realize the dog probably was better off.
As I lay in my bed I remember fixating on the stars. There was one really bright star. It was the light in the darkness for me. It was hope. Hope was enough to keep me moving, to get me out of bed each morning. It gave me drive. It propelled me forward into the next phase. It allowed me the strength to work hard, to meet new contacts. It was my spiritual connection that gave me hope. So I prayed. I worked hard. I prayed harder. I worked harder. I redefined my business, my relationships, my life.
Today I am back, living my purpose and thriving. Hope, it can smile on us all if we care to look for it. I even got that dog.
Hope is not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out. Vaclav Havel