A Light At The End of The Tunnel
December, where'd you go? Oh, I know. You flew by like a Santa Ana wind. I guess it 'tis the season...
Speaking of movements from the wind. I know it's been a while since you last heard from The Noteworthy, let alone right here in The Creative Zone. And I've missed you. But I had the wind knocked out of me these past few months. So much so, it was undetectable to most--including myself. On a normal day, nevertheless she (I) persisted and it's something I pride myself at doing well. But this time, I was forced to hit pause.
You see, I experienced significant personal loss this year. And in true entrepreneurial-mindedness, I plowed through. Because as entrepreneurs, we persevere and what I, literally, instruct to do. But sometimes the North wind doesn't always come with a direction but instead carries a forceful, unexpected nudge impossible to ignore.
Oprah (yes, I reference her a lot and will continue to do so here) always tells the story about whispers from the universe in life that greatly parallels entrepreneurial thinking as well:
I say the universe speaks to us, always, first in whispers. And a whisper in your life usually feels like 'hmm, that's odd.' Or, 'hmm, that doesn't make any sense.' Or, 'hmm, is that right?' It's that subtle. And if you don't pay attention to the whisper, it gets louder and louder and louder. I say it's like getting thumped upside the head. If you don't pay attention to that, it's like getting a brick upside your head. You don't pay attention to that—the brick wall falls down. That is the pattern that I see in my life and so many other people's lives. And so, I ask people, 'What are the whispers? What's whispering to you now?' — Oprah
My nudge was to stop relying on autopilot but guide my own safe landing as I balanced my healing and planning. It was a reminder to "pilot the plane," gently, because it's full of passengers including me. Metaphorically, the runway may not be lit well enough to land but if I rely on my instincts and know-how, a smooth landing can be a sure bet. And so is in business, your pathway may not be filled with marshallers (the airport grounds team we see guiding the plane into the gate with their fun glowsticks) but you have instincts you can trust and rely upon to guide you to your own gate, success, or goals.
As we approach this new year, always know you can recalibrate your GPS. It may repeatedly say "recalculating, recalculating..." but know that in that time of recalculation, you'll always remain in the driver's seat navigating towards that light at the of the tunnel.
Happy (belated) Holidays and may the new year bring you continued light at the end of all your tunnels! Cheers to 2022!
