A friend of mine said the coolest thing today. We were talking about how it's so hard to shift gears when you've been focused on one goal for a very long time. She used the example of being in a hole, and how you work for a long time to get out of the hole. The strange part, she said, is when you actually meet your goal and find yourself no longer in a hole. If you haven't spent any time envisioning what life will be like at the end of your goal, you may not know what to do when you get there!
She said, "You have to think out of the hole!" I love that. It's like thinking out of the box. But this is even better. Boxes are one thing. Holes are quite another.
When you're in a hole, you feel desperate to get out. It's dark, clammy, and the threat of cave-in is constant. Not a fun place to be. Even when you have bulldog determination and are faithfully digging your way out, climbing, making progress--you're still focused on getting out of the hole.
Have you given any thought to what you'll do once you get out? Like the dog who chases cars in the neighborhood--what will he do if he finally catches one?
Spend time imagining and envisioning what your life will be like when you get out of your hole. It may be a relational, financial, or circumstantial hole. Some holes are deeper than others. No matter what kind you have, think out of the hole. Because one day soon, you'll find yourself out there in the sun, with all kinds of possibilities. It's a WHOLE new way of thinking! (Get it?... whole, not hole... you get the idea.)
(c) 2010 Sheri Smith Bertolini
No comments:
Post a Comment