Is It Possible?

Is it Possible? That’s the question my clients keep asking me.

It comes in various forms, such as, is it possible:

• To have flexibility and still be paid well for work I love?
• To land a good job after a certain age?
• To find a job that supports my dreams and goals?

I get these questions all the time.

The answer that immediately comes to me is—Yes! It is ABSOLUTELY possible, if you believe it is.

But, it all depends on you.

It is so easy to focus on all that’s wrong in our lives and in the world. It can be tempting to deduce from what we see around us that we better just take what we can get, compromise on what we want, and be grateful for what we have.

To live in a contracted state can feel safe…but also stifling.

Coming from that place of fear can keep us where we are and not where we want to be. Staying in a place that six months from now we kick ourselves and say, “I can’t believe I’m still here, not doing what I really want to do, not making the contribution I want to make.”

And yet:

There is evidence of success and transformation all around us, if we choose to see it.

There are people out there doing remarkable things, transforming their professional and personal lives to be ones that fill them up instead of wear them down.

People who are:

• Changing jobs to new companies with missions they believe in, working in environments where they feel heard, recognized, and where they can bring their best self to solve problems and participate in meaningful ways.
• Transitioning into new roles that suit them better, allowing them to use their favorite skills and focus on business problems that interest them.
• Starting entrepreneurial enterprises and flourishing. Thriving and growing because they have tapped into something in themselves that they really care about, have gathered a tribe of people who care about that same thing, and have surrounded themselves with a team equipped to help bring their vision to fruition.

These professionals are moving forward despite their fears, thinking and acting with innovation and joy, believing in their dreams and making them real. They are taking baby steps and big leaps and never giving up—even in tough times. They are getting support and drawing on resources they need and believing in their abilities even when it feels impossible.

The bottom line: It’s an internal game.

In answer to the question “Is it possible?” I ask, “Do you believe that it is?”

If yes, then it is possible.

If not, then it certainly is not.

I’m wondering—What do you believe? What are you willing to change to get the right mindset, to make the shift from here to where you want to be?

(originally published on Apr 20, 2012)