An excerpt from my free ezine IDEAS that PROVOKE and INSPIRE for leaders seeking meaning in business and in life. In this issue, I share my experience when I made a costly decision that didn't turn out as I had planned.
What happens when your practical intuition fails and expectations don’t match the outcome? Do you get angry? Blame? Complain? Write a nasty letter? Or open up?
“When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick up anything.” - Alex Haley
Earlier this month, I attended Ali Brown’s event, Shine, in Las Vegas, fueled by an intuitive flash. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. Once I realized my plans for the event were kaput, that I had spent $3,000 to hear what I already knew, I decided to get over myself, and figure out why I was drawn there.
I was seeking a hands on workshop. I got light inspirational talk, light biz content and up-sell. I sought to develop a hands-on plan with the help of outside experts. What I received was the inner space to generate ideas for an emerging business and a deep commitment and resolve to make it happen.
I’ve noticed that the most significant leaps of growth in my life have come to me through the ‘back door’. Perhaps it’s because my soul knows that if it came directly, I might analyze the magic out of it.
“Flexibility, as displayed by water, is a sign of life. Rigidity, its opposite, is an indicator of death.” - Anthony Lawlor
In 1994, I worked for the only Canadian insurer to go bankrupt. During that unsettling time, a friend picked up a Rotman MBA brochure and literally threw it at me. Another helped me painstakingly hone my application until I wanted to kill her. I hand delivered it on the day it was due, and was one of the last two people to be accepted. When I learned that I got in, against all odds, I cried for hours.
At my last full-time job, I knew I needed to make a change. I was so committed, that I gave my notice before I had somewhere to go (smart huh?). After numerous interviews, one felt like a shoe-in. Then like fairy dust, it disappeared. The day after I knew I was sunk, a friend called to hire me for freelance. I had always wanted to do freelance, but that dream was ‘sometime in the future’. He was my first client.
“Change is not something you do, it is something you allow.” - Will Garcia
I spent a year pitching Moondance and got nada. Then I attended a book launch with a friend and I met Arnold, who first helped me self-publish and then became my agent. Though I don’t yet have a book deal, I have won a number of awards for Moondance and readers like it. Instead of defeat, I’ve chosen to hear encouraging whispers.
Again and again, in the midst of my collapsing ‘plans’ emerged the unexpected. When I grabbed on to what was offered and REALLY committed (where every cell in my body was engaged in a white hot fury of resolve) that’s when I
got results.
At Shine, what I was seeking was concrete direction. What I got was space to make up my mind about my life. You know how I know I’m committed? I’ve cried more in the past few days than in the past year. This isn’t a pity-party, so
don’t send me empathetic emails! I’m crying because I know that in every stage of growth, there is also a letting go.
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” - Peter F. Drucker
We’re filled with wants, desires and expectations and plans. Do you turn away from the gifts in your life that don’t exactly match your plan? Or do you listen to your soul’s whispers, and accept the good that’s offered, knowing that what your soul wants for you maybe be bigger than you could imagine (and on a different timeline)?
Make sure you don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won't laugh at you. - Jim Rohn
I’ll go out on a limb here. I believe that NOT saying yes to those positive, unexpected opportunities is like saying ‘funk you’ to the universe (insert your word).
In Moondance, I write about a couple who had ‘a plan’ for their marriage. But things didn’t turn out according to plan. They ignored the signs and created pain and chaos. Which makes for great drama, but not a great life.
How do we know if we’re ready for change? Inside it feels like 60% ‘woo hoo’ and 40% ‘eeyikes’. The overall feeling is a lifting up. I go to great lengths in Moondance to describe the body sensations of my characters. Clues we all
have access to.
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." - Albert Einstein
My commitment: I will pay attention when I get goose bumps. I will let go of what’s weighing me down. I’ll dream big. I’ll embrace the good. I’ll give this my very best shot.
Yup, Shine was more fluff than hard content, but it got me going. The pieces are shining through, one by one. Kinda like a cosmic-neon jigsaw puzzle.
Eerily, looking more and more like Vegas.
