"
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets
dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump
off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
--Corrie Ten Boom
The Secret of Life Is to Get On Board
© 2004 Mary Ann Bailey,
Career and Life Coach
One of this year's box office hits was the movie,
Polar Express. It's a wonderful story about the
power of believing.
It is Christmas Eve and a little boy waits in his
bed hoping to hear the bells of Santa's sleigh. As
he anxiously waits for the reindeer to appear, a
mysterious train pulls up in front of his house and
the conductor invites him on board. The train is the
Polar Express, and it is headed to the North Pole.
As the story unfolds, we learn that, "It doesn't
matter where the train is going. What is important
is deciding to get on." It is a gentle reminder to
us all of how important it is to believe and follow
our dreams.
Standing on the Platform
How many trains have you let go by in your life
because you were uncertain of where they were going?
How often have you found yourself standing on the
station platform watching trains come and go, trying
to decide which one was the right one for you? There
you stand, frozen in indecision, as the world passes
you by.
In order to keep growing and learning, we need to
keep our lives moving. Water that doesn't run
becomes stagnant, and the same is true of our lives.
We need to be willing to try new things and be open
to new experiences. We also need to trust that the
process of life will take us to where we want to go
if we remain aware and take advantage of the
possibilities and opportunities that are constantly
being put in front of us.
Jen was in the process of finding a new job. She was
a college professor who had been recently laid off.
She had been in education for a while, and although
she had several other professional interests, she was
having a difficult time actually visualizing herself
in any other field.
As Jen stood on the station platform, the only trains
that she felt comfortable boarding were the ones that
were heading toward the academic world. But is that
where she truly wanted to go? On the other hand, the
trains that were headed in different directions were
too scary to board. So, she felt completely stuck,
unable to move in any direction.
Getting on Board
Jen soon realized that taking any train would serve
her better than just sitting on the platform, so she
took a leap of faith and decided to board the next
train that came along. This train took her to an
informational interview with the head of the local
environment group.
Environmental issues had always been something that
interested her, but she had never envisioned it as a
profession. The interview went very well. Jen
immediately connected with the director, and she
came away with an extensive list of people and
organizations to call for further information and
possible job opportunities.
This experience bolstered Jen's sense of adventure,
so she decided to jump on the next train that came
by. This train was headed to a job interview at a
local college. The position sounded promising and Jen
certainly had all the qualifications. So, she boarded
the train with great confidence, only to find at the
end of the ride that education really didn't interest
her anymore.
The interview had gone well. They asked her back,
but it had become clear to Jen during the interview
process that she no longer wanted to work in the
college setting. The passion and excitement that she
once had felt was gone. It was time to move on to
whatever her next career path might be.
There is No Wrong Train
It could be argued that Jen had boarded the wrong
train because it didn't end up taking her where she
wanted to go. Yet, had she not gotten on that train,
she would have always have had questions about
whether or not she should leave education. Now she
knows, and she can pursue other interests with her
full and focused attention.
It will take some time for her to sort out exactly
what it is that will rekindle her passion. But she
knows something is out there waiting for her; and
she is excited about all the possibilities and the
process of creating a totally new career path. All
she has to do is to hang on to her willingness to
take a risk and step off the platform.
The answers we seek are not always right in front
of us. We sometimes have to take a longer and more
circuitous route than we would like to reach our
destination. Our journey may require many trains;
and if we hold ourselves back from boarding even one
of the trains on our route, we may never truly reach
our goal.
So, the next time a train comes your way, jump on
board and take advantage of all the things you would
have missed had you let it go by.
"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run
over if you just sit there."
-- Will Rogers
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Mary Ann Bailey, MC, is a life coach who
specializes in helping professional women
successfully navigate the challenges of
midlife career transitions. Visit her
website to read more of her articles and
to receive a copy of her free report,
"How to Make the Changes That Will Move
Your Life Forward.":
www.baileycoaching.com
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