Pinch Me

I’m not Irish. I just wanted to clear that up right away. However, I did wear green today for Saint Patrick’s Day to avoid the pinching. And, although I don’t think I can attribute it to any leprechauns, today was an excellent day. No rainbows, no pots of gold and no green beer, but a great day nonetheless.

It’s nice to feel like I’ve had a “great day.” I’ve been in a time of searching lately, evaluating some things in my life: what I want to be characterized by, who I want my children to see when they look at me, and other life debris like that. Searching, of the soul or the car key variety, can be a frustrating process. We are tempted to chase that elusive pot of gold that will make our dreams come true and achieve our happiness, and sometimes we think it will appear by magic like a sparkly rainbow or four-leaf clover, the product of being on the “lucky” side of chance. Searching is uncomfortable. I want to know the answers. I want to have a plan. I want to stick to it. I want it to play out the way I’ve predicted. Yeah. Good luck with that, EyeJunkie.

I had a great experience today. My friend, Jennifer Wyatt of Her Executive Coach, a business and executive coaching firm for women, invited me to be a guest by phone on her radio program, Life Coach Live, in Paducah, KY. Jennifer and I have been collaborating on a two-week-long event with Super Facebook Guy for our day jobs. It’s called the online Women in Business Forum. In the business development portion of the Forum, Jennifer’s theme has been “Spring cleaning” for your business with an emphasis on reviewing, renewing and re-imagining your business. Those were her topics today for the broadcast and I was on hand to talk about my experiences in business and the ways to “spring forward” in small business marketing efforts. I have to say that I was nervous going in, but it turned out to be very fun.

One of the questions we discussed was about strategies for renewing and re-imagining a business, especially during challenging times. A “strategy” we mentioned was flexibility and the willingness to abandon a “plan” if necessary. That flexibility often puts us in the position to recognize opportunities and to capitalize on them. Unless we are willing to question our plan, we may not be open to the fortunate circumstances that may come our way. My apologies to my Irish friends, but I’m not a big proponent of relying on “luck.” A better formula for business success might be hard work + serendipity. And, I’m keenly aware of the reality that the real life pursuit of “happiness” has a similar formula.

Happiness requires hard work. It doesn’t just happen by chance and the wave of an little guy’s magic dust. It needs our honest and diligent attention to be maintained. Sometimes that diligence requires being willing to alter a plan or let go of it entirely. We are all faced with fortunate circumstances, “happy surprises”–serendipity. You know how I love serendipity. We see it every day. All around us. If we are able to pay attention to it. Flexibility in my spirit, a willingness to search and question puts me in a position to recognize that serendipity–that blessing. It puts me in a better frame of mind to notice it.

So, bring on the searching. It’s frustrating at times, yes. But, it’s when I can say “I’m not sure,” or “I don’t know,” or “I want more,” or just “something’s not right,” that I am more open to the unexpected opportunities presented before me. Dissatisfaction is a breeding ground for possibilities. Am I willing to alter my thinking and my vision to be aware of those serendipities? Am I willing to change to take advantage of them? I hope so.

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and I’m wearing green. But, go ahead and pinch me anyway. I may not know many of the answers. I may be searching. I may be frustrated. I may be confused. But, often that’s a fortunate place to be.

Pinch me. Because I want to make sure I’m really here.