This morning I was sitting at my altar chanting, albeit a bit later than usual. My altar is located between two beautiful windows on the eastern side of the house. It happened to be a sunny day and, as the sun rose, it began to encroach on me. At first, I felt it on my arm — a bit warm but not more than a nuisance. Then, on my shoulder — a bit more intense. Finally, on my face and, more specifically, in my eyes — now a significant annoyance. And yet, I still sat there. Why? Because this was the position I sat in every time I chanted. Not because the chair couldn’t be moved. Not because there was clutter in the room preventing me from assuming a different position. Not because I wouldn’t be able to see the altar clearly from another vantage point.
It was only when I finally adjusted my seat that the correlation between this minor incident and some of the challenges I hear from my clients struck me. We resist change, even when we know that the change will improve the situation. See if any of these strike a chord with you:
I can’t delegate this work. This is what I’m known for in the company. I know my boss has told me that until I’m able to let go of this, I won’t have the capacity to take on bigger responsibilities and get the promotion I’ve been asking for, but I just can’t.
I hate running this monthly report. It is so time-consuming. And, I don’t know if anyone even uses it anymore. But, when I got here it was drilled into me how important it was to get this done. So, I don’t dare open up a conversation with my supervisor to see if we could even explore not doing it…or doing it differently.
I really want to go back to school. I love learning and know that this will help me with my career but things are so busy at work and at home that I can’t see it happening.