FORCE MAJEURE is a legal term used to describe events beyond our control, unforeseeable and/or unavoidable acts of nature that disrupt everything in their path.
2020 and the few years that followed brought this phrase into my reality in two major ways – both of them catastrophic:
1. COVID and its impacts on life and business; and
2. Perimenopause and its impact on EVERYTHING.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about the idea of ‘force majeure’ and its place in DISRUPTION differently. So differently in fact, that I’ve chosen the phrase as my BIG word for 2025 – something that will guide me in my evolution of self, life and business!
How have I reimagined and reinterpreted what is generally a negative message into one that is empowering and exciting?
Here’s my redefinition of ‘force majeure’ for myself and all the midlife women leaders I work with in my Turning Point programme and (soon to be launched) Pathmaker Community.
WE ARE THE FORCE MAJEURE!
– We are the powerful, unstoppable presence capable of transforming our own world and the worlds of those we touch.
– We are the catalyst for change, for innovation, and for breaking through the barriers, seen and unseen, that try to hold us back.
We use ‘force majeure’ as a rallying cry for resilience, empowerment, and leadership that helps us see ourselves and the world differently, a phrase that symbolises:
- UNSTOPPABLE STRENGTH: A declaration that we are a powerful force of nature, capable of weathering and transforming even the most unexpected challenges.
- REDEFINING DISRUPTION: Instead of seeing obstacles as setbacks, we frame them as opportunities for creativity, growth, and leadership.
- CLAIMING OUR MIDLIFE POWER: Recognising that we aren’t bound by ‘the maps’ of traditional rules or gender/age limitations; we are the extraordinary forces shaping our own paths.
A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO REFLECT ON:
– Does this reframe resonate with you?
– How could you be a Force Majeure in YOUR life and leadership?
