The LA Times, Francisco Martinez wrote a great story today about "Racing Towards Life." It had me thinking about the pace of change in our lives. I had not thought of racing after a self directed job loss. However, for Francisco, following a disagreement with how customers and employees were treated, he quit his job. Then what? He takes a 23 hour plane trip to Indonesia to see the incredible islands and take it all in.
We all don't have the funds or time to travel to Bali, although I highly endorse it for your bucket list. It is magical and feeds the soul. There are other adventures right here that when - unplugged, allow us to experience the freedom and joy of living.
Some of us are better at slowing the pace after a change such as switching jobs. It takes re-directing self and innovating along an unknown and unpredictable path. After reflecting on this story, it might make more sense to "race" and what I mean by that is to fiercely embrace time for self. Enjoy pure abandonment of what was so that we can be present and open to what might be.
I am reading a new book, "Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try" by Srini Pillay, M.D.. He talks about the sweet spot between what galvanizes us and what focuses or exhausts our thinking. Are we always zoomed in to something specific or do we allow a panoramic view of life? He believes the answer is in developing a capacity for both focus and "unfocus." Now some might think that is negative. The unfocus part may be a new thought for you. If we imagine an open mind view with great peripheral vision rather than a sharp beam of light on one subject, we might see illumination in new places in our life.
Srini Pillay says, "When you learn to switch back and forth from focus to unfocus, something profound will change in how you manage stress and risk and in how you understand life." Do you find your mind floating in thought during the day? What if we could take that tendency for day-dreaming into something so positive, that we began to nourish that desire to risk more and like Francisco, race towards life.