I’ve noticed recently that life seems to fight our progress. Have you ever said these words: “Just as I was about to… then this happened”? If you have, then you know what I mean. When we are ready to move to the next step, life likes to throw a curve ball at us. I had one recently where one of my favorite employees, whom I knew was unhappy, but hoped he’d work through it, resigned and by all indications is going to work for a competitor. That doesn’t really bother me because we’re in a very small industry, and the chance of us maximizing our personal revenue is only achieved through leveraging our experience. That means we have to stay in our industry, which means we bounce from competitor to competitor.
I didn’t, however, think he’d quit when he did. My wife was going back to CA for the week to give my sister some relief from caring for my ailing mother, and I had hoped the week would be moderately slow so I wouldn’t feel like the proverbial chicken with no head. That wasn’t to be, and since he was going to a competitor, we had to cut off all access to systems immediately because no one trusts that people do the right thing anymore. So within 3 hours, my favorite employee was walked out the virtual door and his emails were being forwarded to me. Fun.
I firmly believe that if you ask the universe for help achieving your goals, you will generally get movement towards them, as long as you put the work in. But at the same time, I see this counter force that likes to put shit right in your way to keep you on your toes and make sure the path is one you’re committed to. The universe reminds me of my mother, it wants me to be successful, but it wants me to earn every single piece of my success rather than just hand it over.
It doesn’t mean as much when it’s easy
And on some level, that makes sense. Accomplishments don’t have the same value if you haven’t struggled to obtain them. Although I can admit, there are days where I would love to have some success without so much struggle. That would be super if you’re reading this, Universe. But, I get it, you’re testing me, making sure my chosen path is something I really want out of life. I guess it’s good someone is pushing me, because I honestly don’t know what I want out of life. I bumble from thing to thing like the cop car toy car of my youth that runs until it bumps into something and then changes direction. Although I haven’t bumped into anything in a while. I keep going every day, knowing that I have limited time left alive and that I won’t get there without a lot of hard work and focus. I’m OK with that. I enjoy my routine now, and I love writing every day. I only wish I could do it more than the one hour I have in the morning.
Destiny or Fate?
But the universe has other plans for me, clearly. Most days, it doesn’t bother me. I simply go with the flow and even when I get upset like I did when my employee quit, I get over it relatively quickly. Let me be clear, I didn’t get upset at my employee, he has to do what makes him happy, what makes him feel better. I was unhappy at the situation that puts more work on my desk which leaves me less time for things I enjoy.
I also don’t want this to be seen as a complaint. The last thing I want is for the universe to think I’m ungrateful for all the times it has helped me, just like it’s about to help me again. Every time I get on the verge of serious financial difficulties, the universe shows me a way out. It has done the same again, and I am eternally grateful that I have been continually smiled upon. That doesn’t go unrecognized. This rant is just more of a validation that while we generally get what we focus on, it’s not easy, and it’s not without its constant bumps and quirks.
What did you learn today?
And the curve balls. I could do without so many. Although, if I continue the analogy with more analogy, if I could learn to hit a curveball well, having them come at me so frequently wouldn’t bother me. It’s exactly the things in life we’re not great at that keep popping up to screw up our progress. The solution? Get better at those things that keep getting in our way. For me, I have to make sure my employees are happy, and that I’m paying more attention to them when they start to show the signs of burnout. I have to drop what I’m doing and focus on the issue at hand. Because that’s what the universe was telling me. This is an issue, and you don’t focus on it RIGHT NOW, it will escalate and become a bigger issue that will cause you to be derailed from your chosen path. So you’re given a choice – spend more time now on preventing this issue or spend a lot more time afterward cleaning up the mess. Your choice. The universe is nothing, if not patient.
So that’s my thing to focus on, not my only thing, mind you, just the most recent universe post-it note that’s been brought to my attention. What’s your thing that keeps getting in your way? Do you have the skills to deal with it, or is that part of the path, gaining the new skills to handle the issue at hand? I know I have both to do. I like managing people but I struggle with being harsh or stern with people because I hate it when people are like that with me. But when you’re left with the employee not listening to what you are telling them to do, you get pushed into a position like a parent-child relationship where you end up telling someone, “Just do it because I’m telling you to!”
Maybe I’m not a good boss. It’s possible that’s what the universe is trying to tell me. I think I’ll make room to call my ex-employee and apologize for not seeing the signs and dealing with the issues earlier before he got to the point where he felt the need to quit. He’ll tell me it wouldn’t have mattered because there are reasons that were beyond my control, but I could have done more, I’m sure. If I had taken his position seriously, I could have tried to help, and I didn’t. Sorry about that, I really am.
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The Naive Romantic 