The Excitement of Possibility

Things may be changing in my life. While those who know me well know that changes have been the only constant in my peripatetic life, my work life may be changing. And while I love the team with whom I’ve worked, laughed, and grown so fond of over the past year or so, I also know it’s time to move on to the next challenge, the next mystery to solve on this journey through life. The thing is, it was uninvited and unexpected, and that’s not usually the case. Who knows? Maybe I’m growing wiser, letting go of things, and allowing life to take the wheel, instead of constantly planning, directing, and executing each and everything that happens in my life. But one day last week, an email appeared asking if I were interested in discussing a particular position with a company I’ve long had on my radar, and one that I’ve long respected, so this was an anomaly: something I (probably) wanted, but had done little or nothing to cause it. Two old phrases came to mind: 1. Is this too good to be true? 2. Don’t poke the bear. Let it sleep peacefully. But after a day and a half, I responded that I’d like the opportunity to talk about this opportunity, and we set up a time for a phone interview. Que ominous music….

The two days before we would speak on the phone, I did my research, going over every aspect of the company: where they’d been, where they were going, recent executive changes, marketing, what Wall Street thought, what current and former employees thought, and so on, to get a bigger picture of what I would be discussing than I had before this occurred. The result: no horror stories, recent industry awards for the Creative Director, a positive Wall Street outlook, and confidence in the CEO. All good, so all that remained was a better picture of what I would be doing, with whom would I be working directly, who my key partners were, and what specific direction would I need to take to make the move a successful one for both the company and me.

The day arrived, and I was now excited at the possibility in front of me. The phone rang about ten minutes after the agreed-upon time, but that, too, was okay, as it allowed me to look at my notes and questions and better prepare for the coming discussion. And it went…beautifully! I learned more about the position as well as the specifics of the corporate relationships I would navigate in this role, and the call closed with an invite to meet in person the next week at The Office, corporate HQ, to further discuss this possibility. And that day is coming….

And now? I’m excited! I have a good thing in front of me, as well as a good conversation with someone who will be a professional connection regardless of the outcome of this particular instance. And THAT IS EXCITING! If this works out, great! If it doesn’t, for whatever reason on either of our parts, that, too, is great. It is that little tingle of excitement in my body that allows me to relax at work and take things a little less seriously than I did before, because of the possibility in front of me. And that possibility is all the difference.