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Turn obstacles into opportunities

January 13, 2011|

CherryPits“If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?” groaned a good friend.

“Why, what’s the matter?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m in a dead-end job going nowhere, and I just got passed over for yet another promotion.  I think it’s time for me to dust off my resume, sharpen my skills, and get the word out that I’m looking for a new challenge.”

It occurred to me that perhaps it’s not such a bad thing to feel like your life is in the pits.  You see, pits are really seeds, just with an outer stony covering.  And if things in your professional or personal environment get bad enough, it may just be exactly the motivation you need to break open that pit and expose the seed.  Once that seed is uncovered, the opportunities are endless.  With the right soil, moisture and nutrients, and just a little bit of care and concentration, the seed can grow into something new, healthy, vibrant and exciting.

As we kick off a new year, this is the perfect time to stop and consider what is getting in the way of you achieving your professional and personal goals.  Just like my friend is using his disappointment as his inspiration to get his dream job, this is also your perfect time to crack open your “pits” and use the seeds to grow your desired goals and dreams.

Get going!

4 responses to “Turn obstacles into opportunities”

  1. N

    Your friend got passed over for a promotion? Perhaps if he sharpened his skills and used them in his present job, he would get that promotion. Put the energy, effort and enthusiasm that would be spent on looking for a new job into the present job. Unless the cycle of ennui is broken, the new job will turn out to be dead and unchallenging also. The fact that your friend was passed over for a promotion is the clue that the job is not really the problem.

    Reply
  2. Merge

    Good point N. The key here is that it’s time to break open the pits and start growing the seeds into something that is healthy and vibrant. Whether it’s looking for a new job, or as you so rightly point out, finding a way to make the current job the “perfect” one, what’s important is that he find a way to turn those pits into seeds.

    Reply
  3. ATI

    Merge – you make a good point.
    And N I don’t agree with your remark that “Perhaps if he sharpened his skills and used them in his present job, he would get that promotion.”
    Sometimes rejection is not due to “unsharpened” skills…. there are so many factors in play.
    Yes, such a situation should act as a wake up call to make changes.

    Reply
  4. Merge

    Just an update. I had a much longer conversation with my friend after you posted N, to see whether there was an opportunity to make the current job a “perfect” one as you suggested. Unfortunately, once I heard all the background, the answer was much closer to what you have said ATI. This is clearly a situation in which my friend needs to get off his duff and make plans to get out. The present job is just too toxic and a fresh start is definitely what he needs!

    Reply

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Merge Gupta-Sunderji, CSP, Leadership Expert

Merge’s leadership development consultancy has one singular focus – to turn managers into leaders; to help great people become exceptional leaders so that they can turn their people power into real and tangible results. Through her speaking, training, consulting, mentoring and facilitation services, Merge helps leaders in organizations create high-performing workplaces.

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