TGO August 08

TGO - Tremendous Growth Opportunities

august 2008

by Judy Ann Michael, MBA

MORE WRITING - UPDATE

My friend, the other Judy, and I are still having fun writing, having started a second book. We posted both the first book and our latest chapters of Book 2 on our website www.LexiandKate.com. If you have time to read and suggest any comments, we’d love to hear from you.

It has been a very interesting process. We have gotten to say things to people we never thought we could, and express our creativity, even in short bursts at a time. But I think the cool thing that it lets me do is to “write my future” of what things I would like to happen – where I want to go, who I want to be with, etc. And it also lets me talk out issues. Very therapeutic.

THE CHOICES WE MAKE

I guess I have a heightened awareness of what choices I make, because I always watch for the outcome. I am a real believer in Karma, and that the choices you make come back to you many-fold, so be careful of what you wish for and what you do. I have noticed that some people have been making some strange choices that I don’t understand, resulting in unintended outcomes.

First, there was the guy at work that we all depend on, who went on vacation during a critical time, without telling anyone that he was leaving. The result is that most of our work came to a screeching halt as we waited for his return. On the way out of town, he picked up his girlfriend who also works at the company, who just got out of the hospital from a very traumatic neural trauma. Their first stop on the way home from the hospital was a bar so she could smoke and drink. The tough part was the dozens of people who supported these two people and the difficulties they have been going through felt quite betrayed as we watched these two physically sabotage themselves and the people around them.

I was concerned about these two people too, and found myself getting very worked up over this situation, feeling somewhat of a panic-sensation. I let it go on for about 10 minutes, until I realized I had a choice to make –to get upset or not. There was nothing I could do, and if these folks want to sabotage their health, then by all means, go ahead. Not much that I, or anyone else, can do about it.

Then I got home, realizing that my friend Johanna had a day that beat mine. The Tile Guy had come to her home to re-do her bathroom. He removed the tub from the wall, and prepped a new wall for tiling, leaving a 5” X 5” hole so he could reach inside. This little 5” X 5” hole was very intriguing to her cat, who chose to enter the hole and do some investigating. Unbeknownst to the Tile Guy, he sealed up the hole before he left, thereby sealing the cat into the wall. She came home that night, hearing a muffled meowing, realizing her cat was in the wall. A quick phone call to the guy brought him out to her home to release the kitty, and all is fine. These choices turned out for the best, and left a humorous story for all to tell.

And as many of you read last month, I made some choices for myself. I realized that there were some situations at work that bother me greatly, and I can choose to either stay or leave. Okay, so there is not an immediate threat to my health and safety, but they are situations that are not good for my long term career. So thank you to all of you who called and wrote, wondering if I am going to quit my job without another one lined up. No, I am not quitting immediately – it’s not quite that bad. But I am looking at my options, and it was a good reason to update my resume, establish some more connections on LinkedIn.com, and look at what jobs are in the marketplace. That was my choice – to start searching, but not leave until the next Right Job, comes along.

THE LAND OF NO CONSEQUENCES

Karma is a concept that I think I understand pretty well. What goes around, comes around. But what I have learned is that it is not a “narrow” concept. For instance, if someone injures you, you would expect that it is right for you to injure them back, right? Wrong. The goal is to keep rising above, and not adopt an “eye for eye” mentality. Somewhere, somehow, the injuring party will get their Karmic Kickback – you just might not know about it.

I have seen this work in my own life in unusual ways. For instance, I recently realized that on several occasions last year, I was undercharged by several retailers to the tune of about $400. I thought this was pretty cool, and must just be a little gift from the Universe for me. However, I found that I was errantly charged or unable to receive refunds for about $400 for various things, including a class I signed up for and the company went bankrupt and could not refund my money. All in all, it netted to zero, so I think the Karmic Wheel of Credit Cards is now complete.

A few years ago, I worked for a horribly abusive boss who ended up “assisting” in me leaving a company. I was very torn up about it, and it seemed very unfair. I watched her abuse other co-workers, who also ended up leaving (and we are now all friends because of it). But I also know that she has had several instances of cancer, and perhaps other instances of tragedy that I will never know about. I have to think that the abuse an abuser inflicts catches up with them somehow, but I just am not privy to see how it plays out. Nor should I be.

I have a similar situation at work, where I see actions taken that damage others as well as the company, but there is no accountability. This is the “Sacred Cow” factor, where executives have chosen to protect a favorite employee even though the person continually damages their reputation, co-workers, and profitability. Somewhere along the way a choice was made that this Cow was more important than their own personal welfare, even though it is damaging to others.

So I raise my concerns to the executives about the actions of the Sacred Cow, but to no avail, and the actions continue. The Cow can be abusive and manipulative, and I have been continually “encouraged” to go along with the illusion that everything is just fine. I have begun to name the place where I work The Land of No Consequences, because there are never any reprimands or accountability issues raised. I have seen this a lot in the jobs I have had in recent years, and it actually scares me that people are living in illusions of wonder, when the heart of the issue is abuse and widespread damage to others, yet no one wants to confront it.

But given my belief in Karma, somehow, someway people will be held accountable for their actions – even if I am not around to find out how it turns out.

GRACE

As you can see, it’s been kind of a weird month, filled with challenges. I have been frustrated, but convinced of one thing: I don’t want to keep repeating a pattern of being caught in the mire of other people’s negativity, abuse, and illusions.

So I took it up with Spirit. That’s really the only place to go when you can’t solve it yourself. How do I overcome this frustration of watching other people make choices that are not in their best interest, and which impact me?

And I got a very simple answer. It was not about the outcome of events or how I deal with them. Our life is about our connection with Spirit, and if we choose to remain connected, or disconnected.

So I meditated on this and had a very profound experience I would like to share. I felt a light shoot out of my heart directly to the center of the Universe, to a place that was only light, and warmth, and love. And I felt surrounded by what I can only describe as “Grace” – the feeling that I was surrounded by blessings, everything was okay, and I had nothing to worry about. I was protected and safe – despite my own efforts, perceptions, and worries. Everything else fell away – personal and professional frustrations - in that silence. I was not in charge of other people or events, and all of those situations would turn out how they were supposed to. The most important thing was my connection to Spirit, and Spirit would open new doors and opportunities to me that I would never guess, despite my own efforts.

So when I get frustrated with other people’s choices, I try to remember that Silence of Grace, and know that if I am patient, and do what I know is right, everything is going to be fine.

Isn’t that cool?

For 6 past issues of TGO, please visit www.JudyAnnMichael.com