Sometimes You Just Gotta Let Go!

Many years ago, I worked for a woman named Lori Zudell. Lori scheduled a team outing for her entire team to go to Universal Studios, which is something you can do when your company is based in Tampa, Florida. One of the activities we did that day was to ride The Incredible Hulk roller coaster.

As we were waiting in line, my hands were starting to sweat and my mind was starting to run on repeat with a phrase that went something like, “I can’t do this. It’s too high, too scary, too fast…I’m going to be sick,” as I tried to smile and look calm. Everyone was joking and carrying on, so I was able to step back and continue my mantra of fear.

Of course, another track was also running in my mind, “I don’t want to disappoint Lori, I don’t want to get out of line, I’m in line now, so I have to do this!” I wasn’t sure which line of thinking would win until I felt myself pulling the harness down into the locked position. It was the type of harness that covered your entire chest and locked you down from your shoulders, but at least my feet weren’t dangling and were supported by a floor. I gripped the handles of the harness tightly, I’m sure my knuckles were white, and looked over at Lori. If it wasn’t enough that I talked myself into getting on this ride, I was sitting right next to her. She looked over at me and said, “You have to let go, or you can’t enjoy the ride.” What was she talking about? I had no intentions of enjoying the ride. My plan was just to get through it!

How many of us feel that same way about our jobs? We spend 40 hours a week in a place that we just want to endure until either we can try to decompress on the weekend, take a vacation, or get out of there. What would happen if we just let go? Is there a different track that could run through our minds each day at work? Are we part of the mission of our organization, focusing on the good we are doing in the community, or how our product or service is helping others? If we can connect to something positive, then maybe we can make little changes that have a big impact on our life? If we can’t, then is this really something we want to endure? Let me ask you this, how might your weekend be different if you loved your job during the week and spent the weekend charging your batteries instead of recovering from your job? Or an even bigger question, how might your life be different if you loved (or just liked) your job?

One of my favorite quotes is by Annie Dillard – “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”

I let go that day on The Incredible Hulk, and once I did, I screamed as loud as I could, and for the first time I actually enjoyed riding a roller coaster. How might you let go of your enduring beliefs and discover the best way to be happy in your work? We’ve put together an Employee Synergy Survey that may help you evaluate your current organization’s culture vs. your cultural needs - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c89324792441bf93fdbaa81/t/5ce2e07d3ba31000019c8037/1558372479043/Employment+Synergy+Assessment+.pdf.

We hope it is a helpful start to let go and enjoy the ride.