I’ve been hearing quite a few stories of people lately who are creating opportunites out of the chaos. I was talking a friend the other day who was laid off from her job after being there for 10 years and her husband was laid off from his job on the same day!  They made the decision to start the business they’ve always dreamed of starting together.

A young woman in her mid-twenties who I recently had coffee with was laid off from her job last week for the second time in 3 years.  She’s getting tons of offers to do consulting work plus she had a solid job offer she was considering.  She opted to do her own thing because she wants to have a family in the near future and thinks doing consulting work will be a better path for her to create her own schedule.

My neighbor told me last night she had gotten laid off from her job this past Friday and feels like the timing is perfect because she knows there’s something else she’s meant to do.  Now she has the time to explore what that means for her.

I don’t want to minimize the tough times many people are going through, but I’m seeing a lot of evidence that many people will be better for their experiences.   Lots of people  are turning this downturn into a time for reflection and moving more in the direction they really want to go.   Bravo!

One of the tools I use to stay centered, focused and sane is meditation.  I’ve noticed that when I mention the world “meditation” to most people their eyes glaze over and they’re like…”I can’t do that.”  I think most people think meditation is this unattainable thing that is only for the very spiritual. They see a zen monk sitting on a mountain top contemplating life for hours and hours.  That’s one avenue but there’s also some relatively easy ways to integrate this practice into your life by downloading guided meditations from iTunes onto your iPod. The truth is it’s relatively easy for anyone to do with guided meditations and the benefits are tremendous!

Here are just a few of the documented benefits of doing meditation:

1.) Increased relaxation and peace of mind.

2.) Reduces anxiety and stress.

3.) Increases your ability to concentrate and solve problems.

4.) Improved learning ability and memory.

5.) Helps cure insomnia.

6.) Decreases restless thinking and your tendency to worry.

7.) Enhances your ability to be creative.

I’ve noticed big changes in myself from doing this practice and as I mentioned I used a guided meditation.  I really like Kelly Howell’s meditation tracks and you can easily download them from iTunes and give it a try. When I finish one of the meditation tracks I feel much more clear and focused plus calmer and more relaxed about everything.

There is so much going on in our daily lives and the world right now, we all need a little “retreat” from it.  This is a great way to spend 30 minutes and to feel refreshed and relaxed as well as more clear and focused.  If you’re trying to find a job, start a new company or just increase your performance at work this is a fantastic tool.  I guarantee if you replace watching the news for 30 minutes with this, you will feel much better!

I did something completely outside my comfort zone this weekend.  I did a “track day” at Road Atlanta with the BMW CCA Driving School.  My husband has done it several times and wanted me to come and try it for myself with him this weekend.

I got on the track early on Saturday morning with my instructor and 30 other cars.  I’m wearing a helmet and an earpiece so I can communicate with my instructor and my brain is screaming at me, “What the hell are you doing!! This is scary!”  So, they give us the go signal and I enter the track with all the other cars and drivers (99% men) and I must say my brain went into complete overload.

It was trying to process all this new information and put it into action at the same time.  I felt completely overwhelmed and I was scared that I would be so slow that everyone would make fun of me.  (Funny, how we do this to ourselves).  I got off the track after my first session, secretly not wanting to go back out again.  I was afraid it would be hard for me to learn and I would look stupid.  (another funny thing we tell ourselves)

I went out again after that first terrifying session and things started to come into focus and I improved a little.  Each time I went out over the weekend I improved and by the end of the weekend I was really having fun and pushing my limits with the car.  It felt really good to try something so far outside my comfort zone and to really have fun with it.

My husband asked me if I was surprised about anything about my experience this weekend.  I told him it was kind of cool to be an observer watching my brain and inner voice freak out and not want to do it for fear of looking stupid.  And then to do it anyway and see the great results I got.  The other key learning is that the instructor told me to focus my eyes on where I want to go with the car, because that’s where the car will go.  Wherever you focus is where you will go….that’s also very applicable to life.

The reason I share this is we all deal with new opportunities or situations that make us feel uncomfortable and it’s feels great to push beyond those initial fears and do it anyway.  That little voice inside our head isn’t always right and it sometimes serves only to hold us back.

Being successful, but unfulfilled is rampant in the world of work especially for people who are mid-life/mid-career. It happened to me and I realized that I didn’t feel like I was doing work that held any real meaning or that was having the kind of impact I craved. I felt empty inside despite making a good income and getting regular promotions. It took the dot.com bust and getting laid off while I was working and living in London for me to do some deep reflection about who I was, who I wanted to be and what I really cared about.

Last week I was having coffee with 27-year old woman who had just gotten laid off. She told me she thought it was a blessing because she was getting paid well and could have easily stayed on endlessly in this job, but that it didn’t “feed her soul”. She talked about having an impact and wanting meaning in her work, which made me smile. When I was 27, I certainly didn’t have that level of awareness!

As things continue to change in our economy and world, I think people are looking for work that “feeds their soul” where they can have an impact in some way, shape or form. At least, a lot of the people I’m interacting with right now are. Work and life bleeds into each other and if you are doing something that makes you feel good at work, it affects your life. You can’t compartmentalize yourself, you’re one being….not a “work being” and a “life being”. At the same time, if your life at home isn’t going well it affects your work.

It takes deep some soul searching and fortitude to find or create work that is meaningful to you. I’m glad I took the time to do it and I know a lot of people that are using this time of turmoil to explore what that means for them going forward. I imagine we will all be better for it on the other side of this.

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