As recently as last week, while I was touring Rocky Mountain National Park, I was astonished to hear a skeptic on climate change snort derisively as our guide pointed out myriad signs of global warming.
The hurricane that has devastated Houston and the one that is sweeping the Florida peninsula and reaching into our northern States are stark reminders that our climate is changing. The lack of snow-pack and the delayed start of fall rains have left significant parts of the US West in flames, which are consuming forests, communities, and lives.
All of us have likely experienced situations where we want to deny the reality of what is actually happening — perhaps the business leader whose competitive landscape has shifted, the top athlete who must face that she can’t outrun her aging body, or the parents who ignore their teen’s increasingly risky behavior.
A wake-up call alerts us to shifting circumstances. Yet the discomfort most of us feel when we have to face a new reality may lead us to “hit the snooze button,” roll over and go back to sleep.
Most of us prefer the devil we know.
But in order to make necessary changes in our careers, relationships or any situation that is weighing us down or crushing our spirits, we first have to decide that we will no longer ignore the wake-up call.
Why do we ignore it in the first place? Because we are afraid. Afraid we don’t have the resilience, the resources, or the talents to shift direction.
Here’s the happy truth: most of us are far better able to shift with changing tides than we give ourselves credit for. We have choices. A lot of them. We can wake up and figure out better approaches to the challenges we are facing, ask for help, build new skills or use the many gifts latent within us.
It’s up to each of us to wake up and take action to make our careers, and our communities, work.
So, this week, be curious about those troublesome situations that are not improving. Is there a pattern? Ask yourself if it’s time for a wake-up call. Let me know what you discover!
Until next Tuesday,
Elizabeth
P.S. If you need some support for facing your wake-up call, you might want to check out the Live Large Group Discussion Guide with a few friends!