Yesterday was a gloriously sunny, late-Autumn day in Brooklyn. Feeling restless after lunchtime, I bundled up and decided to walk wherever my legs and intuition wanted to go. A good, long walk is always a mobile prayer and moving meditation for me. Problems get solved, questions answered, or at the very least, my mood lightens. The buildings, people, creatures and every other sensory stimulus come alive as an affirmation of life, expanding my sense of community and communion. On any given walk, I can dispense directions, smiles, greetings, and often receive the same right back. Sighting a friendly dog—particularly a Golden Retriever or a Norwegian Elkhound (like my beloved childhood pet, Eureka) is a special bonus. I see birds that are a just a tiny bit unusual in urban life, such as blue jays, mourning doves, robins, and once, in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, an egret that swooped from the sky, dove into a pond, grabbed a small fish and then ate its snack standing on a rock as we all applauded. Bookstores, tiny children, chatty shopkeepers I’ve known for years, raucous teenagers just out of school for the day, crowded cafes full of freelancers writing on computers—each sight is a joy, an ordinary and extraordinary fact of neighborhood life.
Each walk also always includes a surprise, or something that lingers in my mind long after I’ve returned home, and yesterday’s amble was no exception: It was simple, a single word, painted in light blue on a residential gate, with a curved arrow pointing upwards towards it.
The word was “Yes.”
This being a career-related blog, I contemplated what I could share with readers about the word “yes” and how it relates to our work lives. Here are a few thoughts:
• What “heart” risks have you been avoiding? A heart risk is my phrase for something you really want to do that feels scary. For me, that’s blogging and writing from a personal point of view. Each post I write feels like laying myself bare. But vulnerability can be a powerful way of saying yes to life. If this topic interests you, join me in reading Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brené Brown (Gotham, 2012). (I may come back and write more on vulnerability once I’ve finished the book).
• In what part of your career would saying “yes” be a radical change? Maybe you never return that headhunter’s call; or you deflected another opportunity for a promotion because you’re comfortable in your current job; or maybe you’re resisting turning your annual holiday-gift knitting into a business. If “no” has become a habit for you in a certain area, is it time to change your mind?
• What do you need to simply accept? “Yes” is also a form of surrender to the truth, and to the present moment. Is there anything in your career or work life that is crying out for your attention and affirmation?
Just for today, if “yes” is the answer, what are your questions?
No comments:
Post a Comment