By William F. Nazzaro, founder of The Time to Lead Institute, leadership expert, and trusted advisor to leaders navigating transformation and cultural change.

One conversation can change everything.

The phone rings. You expect just another call. Instead, a single sentence shatters your reality—your future, rewritten in an instant.

You can’t always control what happens. But you can always control what comes next. I don’t just believe this—I’ve lived it.

When Life Throws a Curveball

Twenty years ago, I thought I was on the right path. Then, out of nowhere, I lost my job. One conversation and it was gone—the career I had built was erased in an instant.

At first, I froze. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios. The panic was so consuming that I got lost on my drive home—on a route I had driven for over five years. That’s how disoriented I was. The weight of uncertainty was crushing.

But then, through the noise of my thoughts, a single realization broke through:

I still have a choi...