Since the beginning of 2011, my life has made some radical changes. I ended my time with the Pennsylvania Governor’s campaign, got a new job as a result, officially launched Bennis Inc—and what the hell, just for fun I took on a side job (Because who needs free time anyways?). While some of these changes were the natural next step, others were ones I sought out on my own because of a gut feeling that I can’t rationalize. With that said, I truly believe that if you listen quietly and closely, and are open to it, you will be drawn toward exactly what you need in life.
The side job I took was a server/cocktail waitress position at an Irish Pub in downtown Harrisburg. Of course some extra cash was the initial appeal, but there was something deeper that made me actually get up and do it. At first I would call it a gut feeling, but now several months in retrospect I realized this job filled a void that I didn’t consciously know I had. I expanded my world to a whole new group of friends and contacts that I would have otherwise never had access too. I also realized a few of my talents that I never had the reason to use in my other jobs. Most importantly, this waitressing job honed in on what I’m most passionate about in a career and in life: interacting with people. The next few changes I have planned in my life are a direct result of what this job opened my eyes to.
Another example is the new clients I take on. With each new job offer, I weigh my options between maintaining sanity or putting more on my plate (I think we know which option often prevails) and each time I choose the work, my world is changed.
By no means am I a yes-man. There have been many things and people I’ve said no to that I will never know how they could have affected my life, but sitting here today I have full faith that each yes and no I’ve made was for a reason. So, the next time I get a gut urge to do something (given it won’t potentially kill me or put me behind bars) I’m going to listen to the universe a little more closely and let it guide my path.
