Day Fourteen

When I was living in DC, a few years into my first job after college, I hit a wall. I needed a new challenge, I was bored with work and wanted to advance my career. I didn’t know what I was running toward so much as what I was running from. So I applied for a fancy-looking job at a big think tank, and I absolutely had my heart set on getting it. I pulled out all my connections, I managed to get an interview… and then the position was offered to someone else. 

After the rejection letter came, I wasn’t grateful at all – only further embittered about where I was stuck. Yet eventually, I realized this experience had lessons and gifts to offer. It forced me to think about what kind of path I was actually well-suited for. What was calling me, rather than what I was running from. It meant going through a tough interview process – which was fantastic preparation for my next interview. In pursuing my desires, I was bound to get burned somewhere. But if I’d never stuck my neck out and tried, I would’ve been, as Pink says, “just getting by” – never even moving on to the next step on my journey.

Have you ever had something just not work out as you’d hoped, and yet ultimately you were so glad you tried? Is there a place in your life, today, where the deck is stacked against you again?  

For today’s gratitude practice, experiment with a shift in your mindset towards this obstacle. Try moving from complaint to thanksgiving. Write a simple sentence, in your gratitude journal, or in the comments below, that describes this reframing. What is this obstacle teaching you, that you are actually grateful for? What new possibilities might this obstacle be making space for in your life?

- Lee