Forget the glass ceiling, I’ve hit a career plateau – that unenviable place where my motivation to progress at light-speed toward my career goals has all but puttered down to a very slow crawl.
Don’t get me wrong – I still have lofty goals and career aspirations; I actually have an overwhelmingly huge vision for my future, and man is it bright! It just feels so – blah – and I’m not terribly excited about pursuing it right now.
My initial reaction to all this is – Fix it! Fix it! Fix it! After all, a high-achieving working mom is NOT allowed to slow down, take a break or even have the appearance of not progressing toward something, right? Yea…that attitude is the surest way to get two steps from crazy. Trust me, I know.
So, during this New Year period when most everyone is gung-ho on achieving their resolutions and goals for 2009, I’m heading in a different direction. I’m taking some time to enjoy conscious complacency.
For those of you who are word hounds, you might argue that “conscious complacency” is an oxymoron. After all, complacency is defined as “a feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy,” which means it can’t really be conscious. Yea, yea…I have an English degree, which means I get to break the rules a bit, okay?
The point is, instead of trying to fix myself (as if I’m broken, which I’m not), I’m going to just enjoy this period of rest – consciously. I’m not giving up on my dreams and goals or turning a blind eye to the troubles in my life. I’m just pursuing my goals at a slower pace and allowing some of them to develop organically (rather than force my rigid, unrealistic time line upon them). Maybe I’ll even be better at heading off the potential dangers in my life because I’ll have slowed down long enough to see them!
The truth is, I really can’t think of the last time I enjoyed my life – just as it is. My life has been a series of non-stop goals and accomplishments. So this new direction really excites me. I can’t wait to savor the goodness of what I’ve already accomplished as I walk (not run hurdles) toward my next goal.
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I love this idea of just letting go and moving with the flow of life. Sometimes the week whizzes by so quickly that come Friday, I can’t even remember what happened on Monday. I’m so with you on this, and I think more and more people will begin to realize that it’s time to slow down.
When I get to those places, I know it takes me a while to readjust. I’m so used to going, going, going, that when my body and mind say “stop” with that blah feeling, I hardly know what to do. I usually end up embracing the break… right before I have to run again. Of course!
You know, it is so important to just STOP sometimes. We can become so goal-oriented that we miss the point of life. Good for you! Enjoy!
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