Planfulness and Granules of Salt

Taking on responsibilities that challenge the limits of your comfort zone is definitely a learning experience.  As much as this could easily be about work, it is equally about personal endeavors.  We all face challenges; the depth and breadth measured by our capacity to effectively address and succeed.  No, accepting challenges is not about surviving.  Is there any reason to take on more than you can handle?

I’m not an advocate for inviting unmanageable stress through the front door of my being.  No, there’s nothing to be gained by pushing beyond the outer extremities of rational thought.  You’re probably trying to figure out what I mean and where I am going.

I’ve disclosed successes during the early phases of my transition.  With transparency as my mantra I want you to know that I’ve had to dial back the enthusiasm for venturing into uncharted waters.  Sure, others have begun to map the course that we could model.  No, the course others take is not identical to the one I will follow.  I don’t want to speak for you but I’ll hazard a guess that their course will not be perfectly replicable nor will it generate the same degree of success for you as it has for them.

Like any number of us I want this to happen but there’s nothing positive to gain by rushing headlong into something for which I’m not properly motivated, prepared and strong enough to undertake.  Don’t be fooled by my success.  I’ve thought about the process; formulated every conceivable response to each step I am taking.  I’ve built emotional reserves in the event things don’t go exactly as I plan.  We all know the risk of overly optimistic forecasts.

So I repeat the caution to be planful in how you approach challenges, especially one as potentially cataclysmic as revealing your innermost secrets to anyone.  There’s no ‘rewind’ button in life.  Once the proverbial cat is out of the figurative bag you won’t be able to say “Oh just kidding.  Had you going there for a minute, eh?”  You don’t want to be a position where you escape a harrowing encounter with only one layer of dermis.  Death by a thousand cuts would be welcome after such and experience.

Build alternatives based on possible outcomes.  Before you ask, yes I’ve done that and was fully girded for possible less than favorable responses from my audience.  Even the best intentions can turn into your worst nightmare.  Be prepared to shed a former relationship if things don’t go well.  I know, emotional pain will ensue but you will be much better positioned to weather the storm.

No, I’m not a “sky is falling” type.  If you know me at all you know I have the strength of lioness.  But, I am fragile too and need to protect the soft inner lining surrounding my heart and soul.

Bottom line is; you can accomplish anything within your skillset if you put your mind to it in a planful way.  Don’t fool yourself.  And by the same token don’t psych yourself out.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and take whatever advice I offer with the appropriate granules of sodium chloride.

Love and hugs, Nikki DiCaro