Friends, I have been silent for three months in sharing my thoughts with you as I have been experiencing a major change in my life. Taking on new opportunities is not new to me, have been faced with what most of us have dealt with since 2007…having been impacted by reorganization and workforce reduction three times in seven years! I find myself absolutely fortunate that each time I was able to find an exciting opportunity, but the anxiety and stress that follows this experience is tremendous till the new venture falls into place. The recent experience could have not worked out better…walked away from one opportunity into a better opportunity without any gap. I am grateful!

I can share much about how I managed the stress and anxiety during these turbulent 7 years, however perhaps that would be a topic for another time. Today I would like to talk about willingness to make internal change. How we manage our emotions attached to things that tie us down. For example, I love Colorado…I have tried so hard to hang on to my life in Colorado and even though opportunities have taken me elsewhere, I have lived a life of a gipsy at a great financial and emotional toll. Then came along this new venture, totally outside of my industry experience; however, a need for my expertise produced an offer I could not refuse. As I began relocating myself from Oklahoma back to Denver to yet relocate to Scottsdale, my aim was to still do the same, perhaps go and rent a condo in Phoenix and commute when I could.

During regular meditation session, for the first time, I realized why I was so depressed all the time. No excitement to do anything outside of working. With all the accomplishments I did not feel enthused about my life. I called my apartment “my cave”, and laugh about it, but it was no laughing matter.  I needed to be home. I need my family, my dogs to go to after work, to spend time with and I had been depriving myself of it all by clinging to the love to live in Colorado. Of course there are other reasons as well, but when I look back, most seem like excuses!!!

I found the willingness to let go of the life I had planned to realize the life I could have and that was waiting for me. I feel the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. Even though I am still going through the transition, selling the house in Denver, buy one in Scottsdale, finalizing the move, but I seem to have a complete different attitude internally and I am happier than I have been in the last 7 years.

I take on challenges and my view has always been…no matter what the challenge is, go around it, through it, or over it, but there are no options to remain behind it. I have much disciplined about how I manage emotions, however, I discovered, I had used the logic to mask my emotional attachment and provide for excuses that have kept me unhappy for 7 years. This is what I call “blind spot”!

When the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change, we have the opportunity to discover our blind spots and get rid of the excuses to take the action that ultimately is most rewarding. The willingness to let go of the life we planned would allow for the opportunity to live the life that awaits us.