Last week I listened to an interview with a St. Louis property developer, who has bought up a lot of real estate with the hope he can use tax funding to finance his project. The interviewer kept asking him, "Isn't this risky? What if if fails? Other people have tried similar things, and they didn't work. Won't you lose all your money?"
The developer kept answering these questions with an optimistic view. Finally, the developer said that he had a little sign over his desk, something to the effect that "Success happens when you are willing to embrace the tension."
I pulled off the road and scribbled down that thought.
Currently, my life is in chaos. My mother has terminal lung cancer, so I'm traveling to Florida frequently to see her and help with her medical needs.
My husband is expanding his business to add a new location--Washington DC.
Our house is for sale. Each time an agent calls, I race around to pick up any stray articles, turn on all the lights, grab the dogs and leave for an hour so the house can be shown..
I'm writing this from a hotel in Tysons Corners, outside of DC. David and I have been looking at houses for the past four days.
My son and husband are flying to my son's college town next week to secure housing for Michael. He decided not to live in a dorm, so he, too, needs somewhere to live.
Book #3 in my series has been accepted, but I need to get cracking on Book #4. I'm trying to attend and plan for as many events as possible to help promote Cut, Crop & Die, but I also need to be flexible in case my family needs me.
Once in a while, David will look over at me and ask, "Are we nuts?"
Well, I laugh and think back to when we moved to England for a year. We lived in a Holiday Inn until we could sign for a rental house. Then we toured Europe for six weeks. David thoughts we'd follow the dictates of Rick Steves' grand tour of Europe. (Eventually our watchword became, "We're going to find Rick Steves and slap him up the side of the head with this book." My advice? Uh, ignore Rick's lodging suggestions unless you have a fondness for GROSS.) My husband did not purchase a map. But I did. We flew into Amsterdam, and headed for a little town without lodgings, driving our rental car with all our luggage and our son. For the next six weeks, David would go online each night and make reservations for the next day. The result? Oh, there were a few melt-downs and teary moments. But what a wonderful adventure it was! To this day, we look back and marvel.
We embraced the tension then. I can do this. I can do it again. The rewards will come. The experience will be unforgettable. And we will have unqualified success.
I just need to know that this is part of the process, this feeling of discomfort. Like a trapeze artist, I am turning loose of one bar, flying through the air with both hands open to grab the next bar coming toward me. I can only be successful if I stay focused and trusting.
It's both exhilerating and scary. I have to admit...it's really hard not to look down!
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5 comments:
Embracing the tension is a marvelous sentiment. That's not only where success is, that's where life is.
You've got a lot going on. Don't forget to pamper yourself sometime. Take care.
Thinking of you, Joanna -- excitement on both ends of the spectrum, dealing with a great move, but also the sadness of your mom's illness.
And there's a rumor that you have a birthday in a week! Take Terri's advice and pamper, pamper, pamper especially on that day~
Your trapeze analogy is a good one, Joanna--and, in fact, is the subject of a book I bought from a speaker at RWA National a year or two ago, Gail Blanke, BETWEEN TRAPEZES. Perhaps reading it would be of some use in dealing with your good and sometimes difficult transitions. Best of luck with it all.
I like your attitude about everythihg going on in your life. And I agree with Terri and Camille. Take some time to do something nice for yourself.
When my world gets turned upside-down I hold on to this one phrase..."It came to pass." Did you get that? It did not come to stay, but it came to pass. By the way, that comes straight from the all time best sellers book list.
It's the Bible. Hang in there Joanna.
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