#ThoughtHealing Quote for This Week: “You must learn to respect the
wisdom of your natural instincts, because they are probably superb when it
comes to weaving everything you need into your life.” Barbara Sher
Last month, I wrote about how I found, and then,
surprisingly, left the perfect job.
Now I want to share how this came about. I still believe
that the Universe did, in fact, manifest the perfect job for me. I simply
needed to come to understand why it was perfect for me—and why I needed to
leave it.
In my book, Will Work
to Feed Dogs: Seven Steps to Identifying Meaningful Life-Work Now!, I wrote
this: a critical element in finding
meaningful life work is determining which components of your Authentic Self are
most important to you. This is because the components of your Authentic Self
that are most important to you will help you make appropriate decisions and
choices so that you don’t compromise when it comes to identifying your ideal
life-work.
To help people determine what those components are, I
included an exercise called, “My Authentic Self,” which consists of exploring
five aspects: values, passions/interests, natural talents, favorite skills, and
personality preferences. (Self-promoting plug: you can find the worksheet that
goes with this exercise on my personal transformation site www.cracksinconsciousness.com ).
Of course, in the spirit of “walk the talk,” I dutifully
filled out the worksheet—but, as it turns out, not so much with a focus on what
it really meant to me so much as a usability test drive to ensure that the
worksheet made sense from a coaching perspective.
Bad idea. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. Maybe “too
focused on only one thing” would be a better, less critical way to characterize
it.
It’s not that I couldn’t identify all of the aspects of my
Authentic Self; I live a very self-examined life, and, over the years, I’ve
become quite an expert in what makes me tick and what’s most important to me.
However, when it came down to it, I was ashamed of what was most
important to me. Why? Because of very old tapes running all the way back to my
childhood.
And what was most important to me? Financial and personal security.
Human, face-to-face interaction (I can talk to my dogs only so much). None of
which were considered okay for me to need or want while I was growing up. And,
none of which could ever be satisfied by my 100% remote, work for 18 months
without benefits and then you’re on your own for 6 months Project Manager job.
Now, I won’t waste your time (or mine) chronicling the woes,
real or perceived, of my childhood. Because the real lesson here is that, regardless
of how I was raised, how I got here, where I go from here, the essential piece of the puzzle of how to live a happy life is owning
what is true and necessary for me. Owning it without shame or apology or
justification. Owning it, and then acting on it.
And so I ran from my perfect job—back to where I was at the
end of 2014. I’m working at the same place (literally, in the same building),
with the same people, for a great new company, for a great salary and benefits,
a flexible work schedule (meaning onsite and telework), and where several of my
closest friends also work. Perfect!
Barbara Sher also said: “You don’t have to give up a life of
security to lead the life of adventure.”
Which I am finding to be very true for me. With my need for
financial and personal security met, I can freely continue to pursue everything
else that gives me personal satisfaction: writing, teaching, public speaking.
And so, let me leave you with this thought: looking at your
own Authentic Self, is there any aspect of it that you are not honoring? And if
there is, what is it costing you?
Think about it!
And, as always,
remember this: It’s NEVER too late
to be what you might have been!
Want to know more about transforming limited thoughts and
beliefs into limitless possibilities? Check out my Examine–Envision–Emerge
Personal Transformation Book Series. Each book explores a particular aspect of
thought healing. Find yours online at your favorite retailer today!
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