Amazingly, wonderfully, my attitude towards my commute has changed exponentially. As I sit here trying to figure out when it changed, I have difficulty pinpointing.. but I am sure it involved getting mad enough to have a shift.
I ride the MBCR Commuter Rail from Ipswich, MA to Boston three days a week. The commute begins with a five minute drive to a train station where I park and board a train; ride for an hour, de-train, and walk about 20 minutes to the office. The entire trip is about 1.5 hours and the whole thing can feel “confined” in more ways than one, due to the rigidity of the schedule and the shared public space.
I grew up in Southern California where the only way to get around was by car, really. I mean, I guess there were/are public buses, and I did ride them in elementary school, but these were considered terrific torture (the bus system in my home town was *established* when I was in about the 3rd grade – so not too “robust” a system). So, I move to New England and one would think I should be thrilled to be able to sit in a moving train, not have to deal with traffic, and get from point A to B in a pre-determined timeframe!
Indeed, there is a honeymoon period where – “riding the train is great”. And there are even some who make it a social experiment! For me, after a very BRIEF honeymoon phase, I decided I might as well get some sleep. I’d read for maybe 5 minutes, place my sunglasses or hood (depending on the season), and doze off… (my snoring waking me often)…
I would wake up approaching North Station, groggy and grumpy as ever… cursing my heavy bag, my fellow-commuters, and whatever weather the Harbor served.
Several months ago, something began to change; and thanks to technology and some personal projects, I can now say my train time has become a REFUGE. Whatever happened between now and then are the substance of something *powerful*. I know part of the change related to the projects themselves – they are closely linked to my core values and sense of purpose (much more on this to come). I think it’s additionally interesting that my shift was driven by becoming so fed up with something, that the tide was allowed to turn… My frustration and obstinance about the TRAIN achieved a critical defining moment: what had been a threat (a threat to my time and sense of well-being) became a challenge (how can I make this to work for me and my goals?) and it’s WAY better to be compelled by a challenge than to be undermined by a threat!
So I consider: can most drains in life be shifted? Can there be a point where you get mad enough that the threat becomes a challenge and what was was pulling you down is now pushing you forward? There are drains that are just annoying and there are drains that are truly maddening. What would the impact be if we could shift our biggest drain/threat to a challenge – a challenge driven by core values and a sense of purpose? If you are really mad, and ready for a shift, you might also be looking for guidance.
I have sought a LOT of guidance in my life and have found that crowd sourcing – within facilitated environments – where the experience and wisdom of others are used to fuel solutions, provides great framework to make desired shifts a reality. With LivingBluPrints, I help create said facilitated environments where individuals can share and create BluPrints for their *shifts* and ultimately, more enriching lives.
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