We’ve made it to the middle of October. I don’t know about you, but my fall has felt a little off-balance. With an unexpected trip and few unwanted colds, it has been hard to find my stride. Add this to the fact that all of our favorite TV shows are back on, and I have just wanted to curl up in front of the TV and forget about life. But because I know binge-watching is not the answer, I haven’t (mostly).
Yet times of change—not just actual season changes—can have a similar affect as this fall has had on me. Unwanted and unplanned job, health, or relationship changes, are enough to make all of us want to hide under the covers with our laptop and favorite comfort food. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress are all normal in these situations—yet many of us will be tempted to ask “What’s wrong with me?” As if experiencing a major or even minor crisis, isn’t enough.
If you are in a season of unplanned, unwanted, and perhaps even painful, change, I want to tell you today—you’re not alone. You are surrounded by people who are where you are, or have been where you are. And as I shared Monday, no matter how dark things may get, there is hope. There is life on the other side of this.
Today, I share a comfort food I love, a podcast for those of you contemplating a career change, and a quote that I hope you find encouraging. Have a blessed day.
Love
Though, as I said, I do believe that Netflix and comfort food are not the answers to life’s unexpected changes, I do believe that sometimes—for a couple hours or a Saturday—they can help. And one of my favorite comfort foods in these times is popcorn; made the old fashioned way but with a contemporary twist.
When I make popcorn, I melt two to three tablespoons of coconut oil in a small to medium sized sauce pan, on the stove. Then I place three corn kernels in the pan, and place a lid on it. Once they have popped, it’s time to add the rest of the popcorn. I pour a quarter of a cup of kernels in, put the lid back on and shake the pan a little. Then I watch it, shaking it occasionally until all the kernels have popped. I pour the popcorn in a bowl, add salt, turn on This Is Us or Grey’s Anatomy, and start eating.
What shows are you currently watching?
And what is your favorite comfort food?
Learn
One of the hardest changes we can make in life, is our career. And yet, I am finding that changing jobs and career paths are becoming the norm, not the exception for our generation. The good news though, is that we may be in one of the best times in History to make such changes. Technology and the internet are opening up new opportunities to think creatively about our vocations and—as I have said before—hear stories directly from those who’ve made the very changes we want to make.
A great example of this is the podcast, The Pivot. On this show, Andrew Osenga, a twenty-year music industry veteran, interviews creatives in Nashville about the career pivots they have made in their own lives. The best part of these interviews is how real each person is with how hard the journey has been. When we want to make a change, we all experience fear over what we will face. But for me, hearing about the hard parts from those who have gone before—and to see them making it or still fighting the good fight—gives me courage to do the same.
Check out the interview with Annie F. Downs, or the one with Dan Haseltine.
What people, podcasts, or books have helped you in times of change?
Lead
If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
—Frederick Douglass
If you are struggling today, try to remember that in the difficulty you are growing. Even though you may feel like everything is standing still, you are moving forward.
Where are you struggling today?
Where can you see some forward movement?
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