Me: Hey God! Good morning!
God: Morning. Good to see you so chirpy. Where are you off to today?
Me: I am going to the bus stop.
God: Which one?
Me: You know the one closest to my house, right across the street.
God: Ah yes. I know that one. There are many buses that stop there. Which route are you taking?
Me: Hmm…I know the route of Bus no.219 very well, so I plan to take that bus. I know the places it will halt and how long it will take to reach my destination.
God: You seem to have traveled often on that route.
Me: Oh yes. It is a path that I am most familiar with. In fact, at times I can even sense who will climb in and from where!
God: That does not sound exciting.
Me: What do you mean? To me, the familiarity of the stops/route and the people who climb in provides a deep sense of comfort.
God: Comfort? Are you seeking comfort? But growth does not happen in the comfort zone, does it?
Me: Why would it not? After all, I am well traversed with the ups and downs of this path. I can navigate all the bumps that come my way. I know the stakeholders on this path. What would go wrong here?
God: The chances of anything steering off course here are minimal. You are right there.
Me: Then what is the problem? If I stay on course, I can finish my tasks on time and deliver my results. That is what matters the most.
God: That sounds very boring to me. What do you think will happen if you take another bus route today?
Me: Why would I do that? It would make me totally lost and confused. Here I know how to find my way around. In today’s world, delivering on time is of essence.
God: Let me ask you again – what do you think will happen if you take another bus route today?
Me: I will be totally lost in the beginning! That itself sounds so unnerving.
God: Boarding that new bus and taking that new path is like being part of a team where you are assigned a new project of which you don’t know much. How would you go about it?
Me: Hmm…I had not thought of it like this. I guess that since this project will be critical to my organization, I will start looking at ways and means to learn about it.
God: How will you feel as you go around navigating this new relationship?
Me: God, you don’t give up do you? I can see where you are coming from. I will course be scared initially. Doubt my own capabilities and potential to do something new and different. Over time though, as I make friends and collaborate with the other team members, I am sure I will find my footing and my groove.
God: Basically, it is a question of time…
Me: Yes and no. Not just time. It is also about having the patience and courage to embark on something new and not letting self-limiting beliefs act as barriers. If I focus on my strengths and competencies, I am sure I will be able to see solutions. I guess it is just taking that first step that sounds very intimidating to me.
God: Like climbing on to a different bus going to a different route…
Me: I guess so.
God: The new bus can also take you to a wrong destination, don’t you think so?
Me: Now, that does sound scary! It will be akin to failing in the project…but hold on! What if I explore the new destination and see where it takes me…?
God: And?
Me: Oh, I will find new answers! That will be exciting and will help me come up with new solutions!
God (with a wicked smile on his face): So, which bus are you going to take now?
Me (smiling back sheepishly): I am going to go on adventure and hop into a new bus. Allow it to take me wherever and I will figure my way out…Thank you God!
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.
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