Within Reach…

Most of us strive to live better, happier lives, making more time for family and friends, taking vacations, learning a new language or sport, and the like. And we likely spend a great deal of our time working, at one job/career or another, in order to have the means to do so. But what about those ‘jobs’ or ‘careers’ that are part and parcel of who we are, or involve those things we love to do or create? I think many of us look at those as the unicorns of the working world: things that are great to think or dream about, but don’t really exist.  But is that really the case? Stories of those individuals who have managed to create such an existence are catnip to most of us in jobs that are the means to doing ‘what we really love,’ as opposed to supporting ourselves and our families by doing those things that feed us intellectually and spiritually, as well as financially. In some cases, a catastrophic event, like job loss, divorce, death of a loved one, etc., is the catalyst for a person to realize the life they lived previously is not the life they want to continue as they move through the pain of the event and begin to remake their lives in another way.  And thus is born the writer, the entrepreneur, using their own wits to create a source of income, and of new life, by doing what they’ve always wanted to do, but never saw a way to make it happen. But, what if what you had always wanted to do was all-of-a-sudden within reaching distance, and all you had to do was put your hand out to begin a new journey? How many of us would do it? And how many of us would laugh, and say how nice it would be, and then do nothing? And what about those caught between those two options: wanting desperately to reach out and grab the opportunity, but hesitate, paralyzed by fear? Fear of success, of failure, and of finally taking responsibility for creating your own happiness?  And why fear something wonderful, something we’ve dreamt of for so long?

And the answer is ‘Change.’ In a new situation, professional or personal, there is always the adaptation to change, learning new things, meeting new people, seeing our own world from a completely different point of view. And. That. Is. Terrifying. In our lives, we dance a particular dance, one we have learned quite well, and the thought of being awkward and clumsy again—at whatever age—is a thought we don’t want to entertain in any way.  We admire athletes, dancers, singers, speakers for the smooth, almost-effortless way they practice their discipline, always forgetting that we never saw the series of strike-outs at the plate, the missed steps, the forgotten, off-pitch lyrics, the fumble of notes hoping to find the next thought.  All things those we admire have endured, and have worked to improve, so that the perfect drive off the tee, the exquisitely executed dive, look effortless, and increase our admiration of their skill. So, when that opportunity to reach out and begin to create a new way of living, or working, or being, presents itself, reach out, grab it, and let it dictate what you need to do to make it happen. And those awkward moments that will come with it? When you begin to realize that each new demand is making you better, more skilled, more savvy, about the direction you are heading—the direction you always wanted to go—it’s much easier to laugh at yourself and the situation, knowing the errors are not permanent, not damaging, and that you will not only emerge unscathed, but wiser and happier for taking responsibility for where you are now heading.