Love The Work Not The Context?

If so, are you open to options?

I was at an informal luncheon today of the northeast regional division of a group I belong to. It’s a great group of people and we were discussing our businesses, our interests, AI, and so much more. What struck me is that for many of us, we love and believe in what we do, it is the work around what we do that can be so depleting, constantly changing, and a real buzz kill as we work to achieve our goals - financial or humanistic.

The naiveté of our younger years may have left an impression that once we made “it” everything would be going smoothly, and we could simply say: “I got this!” So close, and yet so very far away…

It’s one of the reasons I support my clients in seeing the reality that sometimes, change means walking away, sometimes it means a major overhaul, and sometimes it simply means a reality check and a reframe of what we are doing. Be open to seeing what is!

When we realize we are simply plugging along, or yet again picking ourselves up off the floor, there just may be a message that needs to be examined. Perhaps it says there is no room for us, our dreams, or our lives, in our life. We are going about doing what we are doing yet that is not living – it’s surviving.

One client simply said “I just can’t…” and so didn’t. Walking away was frightening and yet she felt as if she had lost 60 lbs. off her shoulders simply by taking a deep breath of freedom. All of a sudden, even in the “What on earth did I just do?” moment, there was a feeling that for the first time in years her life was in her hands. She had the time and permission to think about what would be freeing, excitingly challenging and growth-producing. Wouldn’t you know it, as so frequently happens, when we take a major step something most unexpected shows up and new doors and windows open. It certainly happened for her.

When we go into defensive and fear mode and then hibernate in confusion and indecision nothing seems to show up. My question when speaking to folks in that stage is “Even if we were to pretend that you had reached out a number of times, would you have even recognized an offer? Would you have seen an opportunity that was laid in front of you?”- or – “Would you have not seen anything but fear and catastrophe and then wondered why it showed up?”

Opportunities don’t always look as we imagined, in my experience they frequently don’t. Our willingness to see them, however, can amazingly provide so many we otherwise would have missed. If you’re in need of a change, large or small, think of yourself as a short-timer and open to opportunities that may be all around you – but only if you are open and ready for change, life, passion, and a whole new perspective.