November 14, 2025 | Read Online​

From Lesson to Lighthouse

Over 2,300 years ago, Sostratus of Cnidus designed the first lighthouse on the island of Pharos near the port of Alexandria in Egypt. Stretching over 300 feet into the sky, it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the pyramids were taller. Atop the circular tower was a gigantic mirror and fire to serve as a beacon for mariners. For centuries, the “Pharos” guided ships through the treacherous shoals and sandbars around the busy port. The tower set the standard for all subsequent lighthouses.
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A physical lighthouse is purpose-built to help us navigate hazardous coastlines, shallow waters, and reefs where shipwrecks are a risk. But there is another kind of lighthouse available to us all. The kind we build from our personal shipwrecks to guide us and others forward.
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Last weekend, I gave a keynote titled "Leading Through the Storm." Over six years, I navigated a series of setbacks, tragedies, and losses that my younger self would have sworn were unsurvivable. Yet I did. With help from my wife, friends, and coaches, we plotted a course through the tempest and emerged with seven strategies for weathering life's storms. (I promise to share those with you in the future.)

Here is a truth I’ve learned: Our worst days almost always bring the best lessons. With time and perspective, we can revisit these low points and extract lessons. Those lessons can then be turned into lighthouses – models and frameworks purpose-built to help us and others navigate tough times.

Setbacks have the surprising power to turn you into something better than you were before. Your low points teach lessons you could learn no other way. Don't bury your trials. Don't carry them like millstones. Transform them into lighthouses—beacons that help you and others navigate future storms.

After my talk, several people shared that this insight granted them permission to revisit a moment in time they had chosen to bury in the past. Those post-talk conversations reminded me that this work doesn’t happen alone. Having a skilled coach changes everything—they help you see the lighthouse where you only see the storm.

This is the work that transforms leaders—when you finally understand how to turn setbacks into strengths.

If you need someone to help you frame the storm you’re in, book a discovery call to see if coaching is the solution for you.

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What story will I tell about this season when I'm helping someone else in the future?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
​Co-author of The ONE Thing, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent & The Rookie Real Estate Agent

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