Monday, April 19, 2010

Can Change Every Truly be Involuntary?

Can Change Ever Truly be Involuntary?

This past week I voluntarily resigned from a role of sitting on a board of directors that I put my heart and soul into for the past two and a half years. I had accepted it full heartedly and since the real estate market has been slow I was able to dedicate all the time I needed. It was tough being part of a democratic process that was hit with major decision to make like cutting cost which included letting go of valuable employees and initiatives that had been services provided for many years. These decisions were not easy to except or meant to make anyone popular. Although it was stressful I learned a lot and was truly grateful for the opportunity to have such a learning experience.

Like most democratic processes things can get political. Voting is to be an individuals right and respected regardless of the particular side you vote. But we are human and what is suppose to be a right can often be judged especially under times of emotional stress and financial pressure.

If someone would have told me six months ago that I would eventually resign before the end of my term I would never have believed it. One thing led to another and I became a target by the current person in charge of the board and before I knew it I was backed into a corner that made me feel like I had no choice. Even though I was the second person to be bullied and intimidated this year and I knew that this was his tactic of choice I felt like I had no choice. Or did I?

I took a week of serious reflection and prayer to find the right answer and in my heart I realized that it may feel like I was pushed into resigning, but I eventually realized that it was God’s way of telling me to “wake up and smell the roses”. And after I had come to the conclusion that I would resign I began to realize that there had been other signs. I had felt uncomfortable for many months watching others go through something similar but did not listen to my intuition. I had been in denial.

Like I often do I went to my database of messages from all of you and found the answer in this message:

The Five Things We Cannot Change
Everything changes and ends.
Things do not always go according to plan.
Life is not always fair.
Pain is part of life.
People are not loving and loyal all of the time
..and it's ok!

I then wrote the most amazing eloquent professional resignation. And it was voluntary and felt like a ten pound weight had been lifted. My feelings of having to involuntary resign became a voluntary life changing event.

Challenging things that happen in life are not obstacles they are avenues for change.