Monday, July 16, 2007

Serendipity



Serendipity...the faculty of making fortunate decisions by accident.


It's one of those words that just doesn’t come across my radar very often, but it’s a word that I like to read and/or speak...like wanderlust...or canoodling. I love hearing about celebrities being spotted canoodling, partly because I’m strangely fascinated by celebrities, and partly because I love the word!

But I digress. I read the word “serendipity” last week, and other than thinking about how much I like the word, I quickly forgot about it.

Then something happened.

After almost a year of procrastinating, I started reading “Eat Pray Love”. I was in tears by the end of the first page. While I’m not finished with the book yet (I can’t bear to read too many chapters at once), it’s definitely made me look deep and hard at my own life. What do I really want out of life? A family? Yes (soon, hopefully!). To keep traveling, both to my beloved Italy and to many other places? Yes. A job I look forward to going to? Yes.

Therein lies my problem. I can’t imagine looking forward to going to a place every day that controls my life, a place that tells me when I can take vacation and for how long, a place that tells me I can only spend so much time at home after I have a baby, a place that limits my salary based on some arbitrary salary range.


As I am in the midst of this job search, something keeps telling me that, even after I find a job with more vacation time, I am still going to feel trapped. It's my life, shouldn't I be allowed to make these decisions for myself?

So I've been pondering various options. I'm sure I must have some hidden talent which would allow me to make a living doing something I enjoy and that I am good at. But what might that talent be? What do I enjoy? And where might those two things intersect?

Here's where serendipity stepped in and perhaps helped me out. Last week I was skimming the local newspaper. I don't read it very often, but this day I saw it sitting on a table at work and picked it up.

Right there staring at me from the front page of the Life & Style section was a fascinating article. I don't want to say what it's about yet, as I'm afraid typing it will somehow jinx it! Anyway, it involves a training program for something that I find very interesting and that I think I would be very good at. I've done a bit of research over the last few days, and the woman who does this is apparently rather well-known for her expertise in this area...and as luck would have it, she offers her training program right here in Reno!

I'm going to meet with her to discuss the training and potential for this field. The training is expensive, but I'd rather spend some money now to make it all worthwhile in the end.

"Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." ~ Lawrence Block


12 comments:

Annika said...

I was at that same point 2½ years ago, and that's when I first decided that I want to run my own business, be my own boss, answer only to myself. I also wanted a profession where I'm not tied to one place on earth, but which I can do anywhere in the world (like, say, in Italy.. ;))
I'm not quite there yet, but as a hairdresser, which I became after making this decision, I have that opportunity.

Go for it. You won't regret it, I promise.

Kathy said...

Thank you for your encouragement Annika! You are one of the reasons I'm so motivated to do this.

And yes, this is also something I could do anywhere...including Italy! Maybe one day you and I will be in business together on the Amalfi Coast...

jessica said...

good luck. go for it. do it. especially if it feels right.

Anonymous said...

Sounds very promising! Let us know how it all goes. Serendipity at its best...

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

Good luck Kathy!

Sitting in a church in Rome 2 years ago, I vowed to change my life. Still working on it but getting closer to my goals.

Anonymous said...

Go for it Kathy.
I love the word "serendipity" even if I have a hard time pronouncing it.

Let us know what it is when you're ready. I'm like you in not divulging things sometimes for fear of being jinxed.

Annika said...

Ok, I might be the most curious person in the world, but if you don't want to write about it here, would you mind emailing me about it? I'm dying to find out about this exciting new career possibility!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on that discover Kathy! Are you a Virgo too, like me and Annika? Just curious... :-)

Well, if you find that this is the right path for you and commit to it, I hope you DO post it on your blog. When you are truly committed and confident about something, I don't think you can jinx it.

I'm *almost* there, as far as discovering my exact path (I have about 100 things I want to do, so I'm trying to figure out how to do them all at the same time. Crazy person that I am.), so this entry was an inspiration!

You go girl!

Have fun!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, you're a Sag! I just read the rest of your blog. oops! :-)

Kathy said...

Jessica - So far it feels right...the thought of getting out of the business world and doing something completely different makes me very excited!

Cleo - I'll definitely let you know, it sounds promising so far!

NYC - Isn't it amazing how sitting in a church (and in Rome, no less!) can change your perspective?! I think you are well on your way to reaching your goals.

Carole - I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the word "serendipity"!!

Annika - email sent!

Tina - I'm a Sagittarius, as you read, which normally makes me rather impulsive. I tend to jump into things without asking questions or thinking of the repercussions. But I figure this is a big decision, so I'm taking the time to really research it and make the right decision. I am a BIG list-maker though, isn't that a Virgo trait?

I will definitely post about it, even if I decide not to pursue it. I'm meeting with the lady about it on Friday, so hopefully I can make a decision soon.

I have no doubt that you can do at least 94 things at the same time! ;-)

Kathy said...

Okay, last night I posted and answered each of you who commented...but sometimes when I pull up this post I can see the comment, sometimes I can't...can anyone else see it?

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy,
Yep l can see it.