Yes. I am shifting gears. This month, I begin anew having having completed a 30 year career at Lawrence University. I have chosen to “shift gears”, to focus my life energy in a different direction. From IT professional, the multi-tasking, problem-solving, answer focused manager … to … the question laden, heart-connected, life coach presence that experiences life in a slower gear.
Not that my heart didn't show up at the office or that I didn't care about the people around me … I did! There were, however, many days when “over-drive” was the only gear that resulted in success – or so it seemed. It felt at times like there simply wasn't time for a heart connection. Work was pressing.
Guess I wonder today if that's true. I wonder if over-drive and heart-drive can co-exist regardless of where we work or what we're doing. Can we, as goal-oriented, success-driven Americans find a way of moving in the world that has more ebb and flow, time for focus, time for connection? Can we bring more balance into each day, into each area of life: work, family, play?
I want to believe the answer is YES! And I smile to find this poem from 2004 in my own writing collection:
Many of us have a belief system intended to support us in the search for balance and connection. Yet, however one experiences spirit, higher power, guide, inner wisdom, it does us no good if we do not pause to listen, discern, and then act on the message we hear.
What message waits for you in the stillness?
What area of your life needs a gear shift?