The couple we'd invited over for dinner had attracted us. Months ago, we'd first seen the husband in action in our local community. Although we immediately were drawn to know him better, life's trivia had prevented us from acting on the impulse. He was articulate, knowledgeable, attentive to others and exuded a compelling inner calm. We hadn't yet met his wife but were certain if she had been selected by him, she must be special as well.
We were right.
Conversation started, as it always does - about each other's history. Where did you grow up? What schools did you attend? What brought you here?
Soon we were talking pets, hobbies and careers. The husband was a teacher, the wife in healthcare. We asked her to describe her typical day. It was filled with all types of duties - administration, employee supervision and consultation with patients. As she spoke, she shared that work had gotten increasingly difficult. Regulatory demands, short-staffing and ever-increasing demands had turned a job that was once fun, into something miserable. In fact, she revealed she was considering looking for a new career.
So we asked her to list what she loved to do. Something in music, she grinned. Do you sing, my wife asked her. Her face lit up brighter than it had all night. "I used to," she murmured shyly. "Music was always important to my Dad..."
And then suddenly, she was sobbing into her dessert.
Such is the frustration of working for money rather than the aspirations in our hearts. Aren't we all really looking to get paid for being who we truly are? How few of us have found that cosmic sweet-spot where our talents, desires and aspirations merge.
The solution is as simple as reversing our approach to employment. Rather than going after jobs that pay the amount of money we need, we can go after positions that allow us to become who we aspire to be. Following the elixir of our dreams somehow magically flattens all obstacles in our path, until the day arrives when we look around and realize we've evolved into the person we'd dreamed of becoming. Not only that, but the income level has managed to cooperate as well. When we do what we love FIRST, the money DOES follow.
While the wife composed herself at the table, the rest of us discussed how to help her make the transition from where she was to where she wanted to be. The dynamics of her vulnerability and our eagerness to comfort her, resulted in a plethora of new ideas that were certain to speed her transition.
There are no coincidences. Her openness bonded us tighter and we were soon sharing our inner-most thoughts of how the universe operated. Her husband a science teacher, eagerly shared new models of creation we'd never before considered. What had begun by us helping them, had now switched to them helping us. The evening flew, and soon we were hugging and gently closing the door behind a most wonderful event. Once again, the universe had calibrated destiny for the benefit of all concerned.
As my wife and I basked in the glow of the night, we talked of how fortunate we'd been to meet them. For months, we'd been wanting to meet like-minded people to better stimulate our own growth. And then it hit us. That attraction we'd felt months ago wasn't just random chance.
It was the answer to our request.
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Mike Johnson is an energetic writer & entrepreneur. Learn more about Mike's offerings at www.MikeJohnson.biz