Is what you are looking for staring you right in the face?
As I looked down to open the charger compartment on my phone, I had to chuckle. Is that what I thought it was? Sitting in a basket (where I keep my remotes) next to my recliner was the S Video cable.
For those of you who may not know what an S Video cable is, it is a “old school” cable used to connect older laptops to older televisions (of both, I am an owner).
Well anyway, as I went to charge my phone there it was. All nice and curled up right where I planned it to be. What makes this all so fascinating is about 3 months ago I decided I was going on a binge-watch on Amazon Prime TV. I got all set up only to find I had no cable for my laptop! Now, the troubling part is I know I had purchased it but for the life of me I could not begin to know where I put it. I looked in all my typical hiding places. I looked under the couch, behind the chair, in every drawer, and even the tool box. Nothing! Now for some of you who know me you know I can be a bit “OCD” this means, when I start to look for something I know I have I MUST FIND IT! In most cases, I will turn my house upside down. Why??? Most likely because my “gremlins” (the voices in your head) start talking to me! “I can’t believe you are so forgetful”. “You are getting old!” “You are so irresponsible!” Long story short, I never found it. In fact, I had to resolve to simply purchase another one. And today there it sat all nice and pretty. The truth is, it had been there all the time, right there under my nose but I was too emotional and frustrated to see it. I will go even one step further to say, not only was it neatly wrapped but in the most obvious place!. How many times had I looked directly at it and never noticed it? I will tell you too many! And this is what caused my pause and my chuckle to say, “how many other things had I been looking for that were perhaps staring me right in the face?” And where else is this present in my life?
Let’s face it, I am a searcher. It is what I do. Most people search because they feel or know something is missing. Whether it is an object or something very personal, we all search. Some of us more than others because we feel like we are missing the musical or singing gene, the incredible talent gene, the academia gene, the corporate power-player gene, the mom or dad gene, and the list can go on and on. The point is we feel as if we are missing some important “thing” and for some reason we can’t really start living until we find it. The funny thing is if asked most of us would even know what the “thing” is! We just FEEL like something is missing.. Most of the time we miss it only because others around us or even (we) ourselves make us feel “less than” like we are in fact missing something. We are not deficient. I had a client remind me of what I told her, “you are NOT lacking”. I totally remembered saying it and felt so proud when it came out of my mouth! The thing is, I was not walking the talk. I did not know it then. I just got honest and learned it today. I know I will continue to be challenged by it but I refuse to let it cripple me. What I learned is I may not shout out what I believe to be my deficiencies, I just simply soften it and say, “I am searching” when what I am searching for is right under my nose! You and I have what it takes to make any change we truly want in our life. The “it” factor is within you. It is within me. It is right under our noses!
So how about you? What are you searching for today? Is it right under your nose? Remember sometimes we are simply too close to see opportunities or a way out. Maybe you need someone to help you pull back and see things from another perspective. Perspective is an awesome tool.
I would love to hear from you. Email me at eyrawright@etccoaching.net, Like me or post a Facebook comment!