The Shift

Why do we change jobs and why do we change careers? Personal growth is about outgrowing desires. You literally transcend them and move on to the next spiritual level. In the past, status and power may have mattered to you, but after working long and hard - and after being beaten up a few times despite your best efforts - your notion of success may have shifted somewhat. Relationships suddenly matter more; mentoring and seeing the younger generation succeed become more important to you. And then one day you retire from your old career and your perspective entirely changes yet again.

"Been there, done that" is a holy mantra in my opinion. The shift is complete in one dimension of your personality structure and you move on to other personal quests that are still important to you. So from that perspective, no matter what you do, life tends to prepare you for undergoing this "been there, done that" moment. That's  quite an uplifting message actually. So you can stop complaining about the past and how you could have been so much better off had you not done a particular mistake. You did what you did for a subconscious reason; so even your so-called "mistake" was probably perfect for preparing you for the shift that is about to take place.

While most desires tend to drop off as you engage with them because life shows you what truly matters to you, addictions are the exception to this rule. An addiction is a desire that just gets kind of stuck. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you run after whatever it is that gets you high, it actually only strengthens its grip on you. In this case - after many years of wasting your time and undermining your physical or psychological health - the shift simply consists of stepping away from it for the very reason that there is no alternative. Addiction is a demoralizing trip to get to spiritual awakening, but making a decision to stop can be pretty powerful shift too. Many recovering addicts report that they gain a new level of intimacy with God as they leave behind their compulsive nature.

Life is perfect as is - for everyone and at every time. This is probably a hard pill to swallow but it is true as long as your goal in life is spiritual development. One note of caution though: please don't drop your existing relationships and work out of the blue just because it feels right. Listen to your environment and be guided in your decision by the voices of people you care for before you make any drastic changes. When the "been there, done that" moment really comes you will know it and the world will be smiling the day you graduate to your higher calling.

On Wholeness

My assistant gave me a little plant about ten years ago. She was going back to graduate school when she entrusted it with me. I watered it dutifully, but it slowly withered away. Whenever a colleague passed by my office she would encourage me to just throw it away. It turned out that I wasn't doing very well professionally around that time so one day when I looked at the poor plant the thought crossed my mind that it may be a symbol of my career: half past dead. I was born a fighter, so on that day I took on the challenge, smiled at my little plant and said "Let's turn this thing around, shall we?"

I planted all the shoots anew and have many offsprings of this plant at home now. At work I have one single plant left to remind myself of the contrast between then and now. It turns out that this plant has become a symbol of my professional career. My career has prospered very much in the meantime as did the plant. A couple of years ago we changed buildings and I carried the plant in the freezing winter from the parking lot into my new office. This journey took a toll on the plant and it lost many leaves afterwards, but when they regrew, I discovered a new overall pattern: the plant was suddenly growing in the form of a circle. When I saw it I figured that it had become a symbol of my approaching spiritual wholeness.

Fact of the matter is that I am no longer working in order to be successful; I am working day and night to become whole instead. My professional job as a financial strategist provides me with the monetary means and the material to tell others about the way of the Tao. Have a look at my office plant below, wouldn't you agree with me that the circle is almost complete? There are a few more steps to take, but the lion share of my journey towards wholeness is behind me. I hope you can take some inspiration from this story. Take a good look around wherever you are, perhaps your personal symbol is already waiting to connect with you.