I used to be a big fan of the TV show The A Team. After a series of harrowing events, a near miss, a stream of bullets, explosions, a heart racing chase scene and almost certain death, The A Team pulls together in each episode and completes the mission. And just as success of their caper, job, assignment or reverse kidnapping becomes obviously imminent, Hannibal, the leader of the crew, always uses the phrase, “I love it when a plan comes together.” I don’t often come in contact with such trying conditions, although I do have a surprising amount of drama in my life, but I often borrow that expression sarcastically when things drastically fall apart, and also when they miraculously fall in sequence to create a chain reaction, sort of like the domino effect.
As a young adult I had huge career aspirations. I wanted to make millions, be super successful, and work as hard as I possibly could. Enter reality… then add a few decades of actual work. Then top it off with a crazy year of COVID. So you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m no longer trying to build my resume. My extracurricular activities are not noteworthy either– grocery shopping and finally folding a fitted sheet properly are not exactly front-page news.
I really like the not so new job and I’m committed to work the remainder of my days with purpose and grace, ok, and a little humor. I’m not heading to the glue factory just yet, but my pace is not as frantic as it once was. I have developed a knack for new business over the years, and I’m happy with my self-curated brand of creative sales and marketing. I feel a certain cadence to each day that brings me both excitement and calm. I’ve far surpassed the rookie stage of my career, so the little nuggets of wisdom I’ve picked up help ease my wiggle through the sometimes sharp and unexpected turns of life.
Some business travel is in my future. It seems conference season will be upon my industry beginning in late July (yes, starting tomorrow!), and I’m already mentally packing my carry-on with extra business cards and cute shoes. I am looking forward to connecting with old colleagues and meeting new ones. I’m sure my face will hurt from smiling at all those networking events. In my wildest job fantasy, every person I meet loves my corporate giveaway so much that they all rush back to their offices, remembering me as the most remarkable person they’ve met. The following week all of them send me deals. The phone rings off the hook so I don’t have time to make any outgoing calls because I’m so busy fielding incoming business. I make my goal for the year within my first six months on the job and my boss is thrilled. I lead my division to victory with huge numbers and 2021 is my best year ever. Cue the confetti.
Yawn. Did you get all that? Yeah, I’m exhausted too. (I did couch that by saying it was a fantasy!) Hopefully I will meet a handful of great new connections and an even smaller percentage of that lucky bunch will turn into occasional referral sources. I’ll work hard to make my number before the end of the year and feel terrific when I do. But until then, although I look to crush it, nail it, win it, conquer it, and collect all the marbles, I realize that life is not often like a game of dominoes. They’re not always lined up perfectly… so they fall when they fall, usually in no specific order, and hopefully they don’t take us down with them if they crash or stall.
Balance is more important to me now more than ever. So while I’m lining up those tiles of life, hoping for the cumulative effect of a beautifully orchestrated chain reaction, I know that a helpful push might be needed every so often to keep my momentum going. And even if my dominoes don’t fall exactly like I imagine, I look forward to my plan coming together… eventually. So while I wait I can order dinner. Hmmm… I think pizza sounds good. Get the door it’s… well, you know.
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