Funny how the greatest lessons in life can come in the simplest ways. On another walk today; a major life awareness flashed into my zoned-out mind, as I walked the familiar exercise path I had taken for the last two months.
For this writing to make some sense, I am referring you to a blog I wrote a couple weeks ago titled, “The Nudge and The Lesson” (https://patricialeonard.net/the-nudge-and-the-lesson/). In that sharing I explained how the universe helped me find a coin on my walk that day and what I learned from that experience.
Now, to today and the other lesson! On the walk today, I became aware that I had been taking the same walking path over and over… and had been very lucky to find a coin most every day. But the walks for the last couple of days had not generated a single coin. I felt disappointed.
As I studied the possibilities for the dry spell; something very profound came to me. I had been taking the same path day-after-day, expecting to find more coins. So, it is in our personal and professional lives. We keep doing the same things over and over, expecting more or something new to emerge.
The disruption of 2020 has been a wake-up call in many ways for individuals, businesses, education, relationships and in general, everything. It has caused us to break our daily habits and create new ones; redesign our business systems and processes to maintain sustainability and meet demand; and go back to the drawing board on rethinking life in the United States; and in the world.
With that awareness of how most of us take the same roads to work each day, go to the same grocery store, watch the same shows on television, hang with the same people, eat the same kind of foods, etc.; it is obvious that we become so conditioned we become unaware. The last three months or so has been an awakening to that fact in many ways… at least to me.
We become so conditioned to life as it is, that we seldom ask ourselves if we are happy, fulfilled, enjoying the work we do, or feeling as if we are living our life purpose. The starting of this decade has broken our comfortable (uncomfortable) zones and routines, taken us out of the confusing maze called life, and caused us to go to a place that most have never traveled. With this existing pandemic we are offered a great opportunity to get out of our personal and professional ruts.
Maybe it means creating a new life path of creativity and exploration. It might be as simple as taking a new road on your way to the grocery this week; connecting with others in your neighborhood (at a healthy distance, of course); meeting people on social media; taking advantage of certifications and education programs to expand your skill base; researching an on-line business opportunity as a new stream of income; getting your resume updated and planning a career strategy for the road ahead; organizing the garage while you have time (that one is really for me)… and in general getting out of the same ole, same ole, in order to see your life and career through a difference lens.
Disruption is often the energy behind change. As you move forward, how will the recent pandemic change the way you respond to your life and career?
For me; tomorrow I plan to take a new path on my walk… with high anticipation of finding a coin, OR TWO!!!
As one author put it: Try taking… “THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED”!
Blessings on your journey, Patricia
Patricia Leonard
Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
www.patricialeonard.net
pleonard01@comcast.net