What's the essence of what you want?
A few days ago on Travel. Adventure. Life. I posted about leaving the door open to serendipity. As with so many things as I prepare for my upcoming trip to Cambodia, I saw a great parallel with creating a juicy, engaging life.
Researching the trip, I found myself wanting to explore how I might be able to bypass the "artisan factories" tourists typically visit and connect with the artisans in a more personal way, like I've been able to do with, for example, the weavers in Oaxaca.
Sounds reasonable on the face if it, but then it occurred to me what I was doing...
...I realized that what we really behind the question was a desire to replicate past experiences.
That's a recipe for disappointment. So I'm taking a different approach. Rather than try to replicate past experiences, I can look at it and ask, "What is it about those experiences that felt good? What do I want to bring into the picture again?"
For me the answer was clear. It was the personal connection, and hearing people's stories. I decided I needed to consciously take another direction with the whole experience.
...rather than trying to plan my experiences, and recreate the past, I can take that insight and approach the trip with an awareness that I want to be open to those personal connection opportunities. And those will probably look nothing like what has happened in the past.
There's no need for a lockstep agenda, and there's no need to try to recreate what you've enjoyed in the past. Once you're aware of the essence of what inspires you, you can simply leave the door open to serendipity.
And that's where the overlap lies with your career, and life in general. If you let go of the specifics and dig into the underlying essence of what you want to experience, it opens up all kinds of doors you may have had no idea were even there.
What's at the heart of what lights you up? What makes you tick? What's important to you? What's meaningful to you?
The more clarity you have around those kinds of questions, the better able you'll be to leave the door open to serendipity, and the better prepared you'll be to recognize it when it comes your way.
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
Curt, thanks for this reminder about noticing what's at the heart of what is important to you. Serendipity is a lovely word that deserves more use in our society! I find it serendipitous that I read this post today, a day I needed it.
Posted by: Heather Mundell | October 26, 2006 at 11:37 AM