When Life Kicks You to the Curb ...

It's sometime really hard to make big changes in life or come to terms with professional disaster when it strikes. Meanwhile, we start to get in ruts, start feeling safe and complacent, or act like we don't have to stretch or keep pushing beyond our limits. Thus when life throws big changes at us, we're paralyzed, because we are stunned and incredulous. We're thinking,

"This cannot be right because we're THERE. We've ARRIVED. We've GOT this, it's ALL good, we're COOL." But really, are we ready? I'd say not; no one can ever be ready for the unexpected, by definition. I think that, instead, we have to be ready to shift our weight, roll away, jump - so we can keep on our feet, and be ready to take chances when we want to hunker down.

I was sure I could do it, if tested. I was thinking, not me, I won't be that person. I've never been one to not stretch myself: I hate ruts, never feel safe enough to be complacent, and I love a challenge. In fact, I NEED challenge like an alcoholic needs liquor, so gonna keep on keeping on. I thought, if I work hard, am productive, and stay proactive, everything will be good. I've always been one of the top employees wherever I've worked, so I was safe, right? Ha ha. Well, the unthinkable (to me) happened after a hellish year spent constantly managing crisis after crisis after crisis and fighting lions, tigers and bears (oh my!!!). 

My position was 'realigned' right out of existence.So shock and paralysis set in, in spite of my efforts to roll with it. Truly, it's really traumatic to go through getting let go in spite of doing what you were hired for, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, because when some doors close, others open. It seems that the trick is to not be looking backwards like Lot's wife when opportunities appear. 

And I'm not. For example, I'm contemplating this open barn door I'm about to step through.

Feeling a little scared, a whole lot excited, because I'm about to take a step off a cliff. Don't know if it's a long fall through fog or a step through the fog onto solid ground, but I've gotten the courage to go after the goal I had when I started college. It's the goal I tailored my education and work experiences around, because I thought I had an idea that's a game changer for us all, even way back 'when'.

And it REALLY feels good to finally take that chance. I started out on my career with a plan, that I've followed, more or less, like "Little Billy" going from point "A" to point "B" in the "Family Circle" cartoon. You know, circle here, loop there, double back and start over, jump the fence ...

Well, it's down to the home stretch. I'm about to get to point "B". When I do, the real work begins.

Namaste.


(pulled from blackfriar.wordpress.com - https://deepfriar.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/paths.jpg)