This weekend I met a most delightful woman.  She is happy, living life boldly and totally living in the moment.  While we were talking she shared that life had not been a “crystal stair”.  She’d had many challenges, the most recent was being downsized from a job she loved.  She was in management and ran the department of 35 employees.  That had been her dream.

Once she was downsized, she looked for work in her industry.  Finding none, she decided to look in other places.  She’s a boomer and understood that she might have some challenges in replacing her income.  Wisely, she decided to take whatever came first.

She was offered a job as a waitress in a diner.  She didn’t look at this offer as “beneath’ her but accepted the job and decided to enjoy every minute of it.  After working for the diner for about six months, a very handsome young gentleman was placed at one of her tables.  He couldn’t help but notice how engaging she was and how happiness seemed to radiate from her.

The gentleman engaged her in conversation, upon learning of her skills, he identified himself.   This gentleman is an entrepreneur with many businesses and was looking for someone with her skills.  He offered her the job, she accepted and has been working with him for 2 years.  She says “this is the happiest I have ever been.”

While I listened to her story I thought about another friend who is out of work and claims that he can only do one thing,.  This friend has been out of work for 3 years but refuses to consider doing any work that is not in management or does not require wearing a suit!

The contrast in the way my friends think is not unique.  Some people always look for the silver lining and others always see the clouds.  It’s entirely up to you how you view your  world.

Many times our greatest challenge contains the seeds of our greatest opportunity.  The opportunity only presents itself after we have gone through the challenge.  The first friend saw her downsizing as a challenge and was given a chance even greater than the job from which she was downsized.

The second friend is still wallowing around in the challenge; paralyzed into thinking that he cannot do anything other than what he had done.

Which thinker are you? Do you see adversity and challenges as a new beginning or do you become paralyzed?  The amazing thing is, you can choose!  Whatever choice you make, be willing to accept the consequences.

e-thinker1