In his book The Power of Now, Eckart Tolle says “Ultimately… there are no problems. Only situations – to be dealt with now, or to be left alone and accepted as part of the present moment until they change or can be dealt with.” This is an incredibly challenging statement for someone who likes to be in control, but he is actually spot on.
As I sit here by the pool on holidays, unashamedly with a fairly large glass of something reasonably alcoholic in hand, this time away has taught me yet again that our business and personal roads are a series of situations. From minute to minute, those situations change, and it’s up to us how we see and use them; as freeing opportunities for growth, or as fear factor Mach 3.
This month in GLOSS, the online magazine of LBDGroup, we are going to be talking all about generational journeys, which are in themselves made up of some very challenging situations. Acceptance of a series of career changes is vital to making it through our adult lives without completely losing the plot, but that doesn’t make them any easier when they are forced on us, which is sometimes the case. What will also be evident from the stories shared in GLOSS is that now, more than ever before, we are not prepared to be unhappy and unfulfilled in the workplace, and at certain age checkpoints we readily identify those employment situations where we will not accept the status quo, and decide to change the course of our travel.
The past twelve months have brought changes that I could not possibly have dreamed of when I first made that situational jump from corporate to the land of independence (and quite a bit of fear). I am doing work I love, working with people that inspire me, motivate me, and – most importantly – being rewarded for it. And for the third time in a year, I am on holidays. This was unheard of previously, as I did not have the support network to back me up. Now, though, I can sit by the pool without feeling as though I need to jump and check my emails fifteen times an hour, because after the mammoth UK trip last year, I know that my business is in safe hands, thanks to the power of that silk-strong web that I leave behind me.
I often talk about how important – essential – my circle of influence is to me. In fact building your own powerful and diverse ‘circle of influence’, that ‘nexus’, is critical to your growth and success. It will support you, push you further than you thought you were ever capable of, it will lift you when you are low and it will open up doors of opportunity that were previously firmly shut. That circle of influence also has meaning in terms of what is important in our businesses, too, sitting in the bullseye of our ‘circle of concerns’. Again, it’s about accepting situations, rather than creating problems, and understanding that there is only so much you can focus on at any one time.
So what I am focusing on is this. I know that I cannot control what is happening in Australia right now, so I am enjoying the last few days of ‘soul time’ on my holiday. I also know that I am phenomenally grateful that I don’t have to control it, because I have a team that backs me to the hilt, and a wider network that will back them if necessary without hesitation.
I recognise and I’m excited that the next twelve months is a further evolution and one that I know is going to be filled with more opportunity and great work. I will be that little bit older, and hopefully, again, a little bit wiser; and I know that change is, as they say, as good as a holiday. So I am absolutely embracing it, ensuring I am fully re-energised to jump right in with both feet, and with my tribe of amazingness around me, to enjoy this life and all it has to offer.
Admittedly, though, change doesn’t tend to come with a monster sized pool and someone serving me drinks, so that statement about it being as good as a holiday?
A completely different situation altogether.
