By Jack Cumming
Do you ever have a hot chocolate day? I know I do. Those are the days when everything seems to go wrong. It’s tempting to spiral downward into poor me. “I’m helpless. I’m just a failure.” Do you know the feeling? It can lead to frenzy. Maybe if I just work faster, smarter, with half a break, I’ll be able to get ahead of the tide of duty, obligation, and more.
That’s when I … stop … take a pause … brew some hot chocolate … find a quiet spot to sip the warmth, let the frenzy pass, mellow out, and find a new perspective. Usually, though not always, it works. I calm down. The tide of stuff becomes manageable. And I surf confidently through the tide to the shore beyond.
Care for the Soul
Chocolate can be wonderful. Still, there are those days when hot chocolate isn’t enough. It may be a breakup. It may be a boss who terminates your employment. More often, it’s a realization that this relationship, this employment, or whatever, just isn’t right for you.
If it’s harming you more than helping you, it’s just not right. And, there’s that day when reality smacks you in the face. Those days call for quick action. Hot chocolate is not enough. You need half a gallon of chocolate ice cream.
You Can Be Your Own Therapist
If you’re unhappy with work or whatever, ask yourself, “What are you going to do?” If your answer is that you’re afraid to make the jump without a parachute, then you’d best find joy in your predicament. That means being happy with what you’ve got since that’s what you’re choosing. Most often, though, settling is not an option. That encounter with reality calls for action.
If paralysis inaction doesn’t satisfy you, then you have to make the jump. If your job falls short of what you want, you can start a job search. Set a time limit. For instance, if I don’t find a new, better job within, say, three months, I’m going to go to plan B. Plan B might mean simply quitting and hoping all works out. Or, it may mean quitting and working freelance or as a temporary employee.
It Takes Courage
In short, if you’re unhappy make the jump. It may not work out as you imagine, but almost always it works out. That smidgen of uncertainty is what makes it scary. Telling a future employer that you left for a good reason is better than having to say that you were let go because your values didn’t match those of your former employer.
Of course, if the change you need is a relationship, then the first option of looking for something new while anticipating leaving is not a good idea. In that case, it’s best to take the hit, make the break; feel the pain; sense the loneliness; and come out the other side a stronger, better, wiser person.
Back to Chocolate
All of these options call, at least, for the hot chocolate treatment. At the worst, though, there’s always that half gallon of ice cream, or my personal favorite, Lindt Chocolate Truffles. Chocolate can get you through the shock. Time will be your friend. Trust in yourself that you are worth more than you can ever imagine.
Love yourself first, so you can give others the love they need. Happy Wednesday.
