I think it would be fair to say we have all gone through a career “moment of truth”; that moment where something rocked your world, a moment that forces you to evaluate all that you have in your life and determine if you are on the right path.
I had one of these “moments” a few years ago.
I had high hopes of moving back to my hometown and landing the perfect career opportunity. I thought everything was locked in; I had a place to live and a job opening within my company; all of this seemed to have my name on it.
And then something crazy happened; things didn’t go as planned and I was devastated.
I was crushed because I didn’t have answers. Everything we had been planning for the past two years had come to an abrupt halt.
It can only be described as a moment where all you want to do is scream and shout and let it all out?
My husband took a different approach and one that ended up being much more productive.
His perspective was that things come together for a reason or fall apart for a reason and perhaps there was something else better out there.
Instead of fueling this raging fire inside, he chose to focus on the positives and look at the “what ifs”.
The commute would have been dangerous, and something could have happened. It was a 4-hour drive from the city we were currently in and we wouldn’t be able to live together a year.
He would be commuting every four days, and we technically would only see each only for 50% the year.
It would give us more time to get all of our “ducks in a row” and ensure we are ready for the move. A year from now would be perfect.
With all these things aligned against getting the job, it sounded better to wait for the right opportunity in a year. It all made logical sense, but I was emotional dammit!
Why can things go just how I want – insert fist slamming here!
A few years later, an executive coach I was working with encouraged this pros & cons list for taking on a career opportunity, and I have started using it ever since. Sometimes a plain pros and cons list can take the most complicated situations and force the truth of the situation. It forces honesty and a logical look at the situation without bias to sticking to the original plan.
Sometimes a plain old pros and cons list can take the most complicated situations and force the truth of the situation. It forces honesty and a logical look at the situation without bias to sticking to the original plan.
We can’t be discouraged because we have to work a little harder for something than originally planned and we have from A to Z to make up a backup plan.
If there is a will, there is a way.
And come to think of it, anything that I had to work a little harder for, I earned, and it wasn’t just awarded, and it tasted that much sweeter when it happened. I have always been a believer in fate – everything happens for a reason to prepare us for our journey. Everyone encounters hardships in their life – that is part of our existence; it’s how we look at them, how we learn from them and how we carry forward that defines us. So it may not be easier to round up the courage to keep on keeping on and face the next day with zest and zeal, but dammit, that is what needs to happen to come out stronger on the other side.
I have always been a believer in fate – everything happens for a reason to prepare us for our journey. Everyone encounters hardships in their life – that is part of our existence; it’s how we look at them, how we learn from them and how we carry forward that defines us. So it may not be easier to round up the courage to keep on keeping on and face the next day with zest and zeal, but dammit, that is what needs to happen to come out stronger on the other side. I am proof of this. Because of moving forward in my career, I am now the President Of A Fitness company and I wouldn’t be here if I had taken that other job.
So it may not be easier to round up the courage to keep on keeping on and face the next day with zest and zeal, but dammit, that is what needs to happen to come out stronger on the other side.
Thanks for reading…xoxoxoxo
