A crisis is a holy summons to cross a threshold. It involves both a leaving behind and a stepping toward, a separation and an opportunity. The word crisis derives from the Greek words krisis and krino, which mean “a separating.” The very root of the world implies that our crises are times of severing from old ways and states of being. We need to ask ourselves what it is we’re being asked to separate from. What needs to be left behind? ~ Sue Monk Kidd
Change always offers us a choice.
We may see it coming (perhaps the end of a relationship, the loss of a job) and, in that moment, we can choose our next step. Will we wait and sit it out, or will we take the bull by the horns?
If we wait, we may experience the kick in the seat of the pants.
Those red flags - niggles, as I like to call them - are our first indication that something is amiss. They are the precursors to an easier way out. They give you choice, time to prepare, or an opportunity to be proactive. When the writing is on the wall, it can only mean one thing.
I learned the hard way!
I've worked in companies where we were assured that our jobs were secure. Yet, days later we were all made redundant.
All the warning signs were there with my brief marriage. Others saw the signs before me but I had to work it out for myself. Even though there was nothing I could put my finger on, there was something.
The realisation finally hit early one April Fool’s Day! I was finally done.
The aftermath would stay with me for the next five years.
In hindsight, the niggles had always been there. I chose to ignore them and paid the price, both literally and metaphorically.
This failed relationship put me on a track that I hadn't imagined. Gone were my dreams of a happy marriage, home life and children. My life was destined to take a different path.
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us ~ Joseph Campbell
The big theme of the Essence Map is about this. Sometimes the life we think we want isn't meant for us.
My husband, Chris, thought he was a biker and a future pilot, but he was destined to become known as the Blind Woodturner. It changed his life in ways he could never have imagined. And changed thousands of other people's lives too.
Whenever you are challenged with change, look first at how you can embrace it. Contemplate an alternative future. Know that your future will always open up in exactly the way it's meant to.
