Resonance or reminiscence? Were you able to look back and find a period where you felt you were in your stride, where things just clicked and you felt you had a purpose? Or did you look back and just reminisce about the “good old days”?   Nothing wrong with looking back and reflecting on the good old days when things were simpler, when you had more energy… when life was less demanding.  The exercise though, was to look back and find a time that you feel the real you had a moment in the sun.  Could be many years ago when you were in school and you really enjoyed a certain subject, could be you had a boss you really liked, could have been a project you really nailed, could be a group of coworkers you had that you worked well together. What did you find? What did it say about that aspect of you? Do you like to work alone or in a group; Like working under pressure;  like being able to set your own time line? How do these answers compare to your current situation?

I always liked working on cars. As a kid, I had dreams of being a custom car painter doing things like painting flames and custom bodywork.  When I was in high school, this was a pretty finite market and I succumbed to peer pressure (and my parents) and pursued a more lucrative career. That said, I also really, really loved factory work. When I was a junior in High School, I took a job on second shift in a plastics company.  I knew from my first day in the plant this was for me.  Just something about all the things going on in a plant.  My senior year,  I worked in a restaurant and learned to enjoy cooking and the rewards of a well-prepared meal and pleasant service.  So, now what does this mean for me looking back? Should I be a car painter, chef, or go with factory life? 

As I was working through the personal development exercises that became this blog, I thought about when I was fairly young and what I told relatives when they would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up or what I wanted to go to college for.  I want to make “stuff” I told them.  I have worked in the food industry, automotive, machine tools, pharmaceuticals, forging industry and medical instruments.   My answer then is about the same is it is now; that I want to make stuff. That really is what I enjoy and who I am. The pieces all made sense when I looked back. What they all had in common was making “stuff”. I still love to “make stuff”.   I am still working on cars, and I still love to cook.  When I am in my retrospective periods and I think about should I have gone with the autobody career path I think about buying a body shop.  Not sure I can take the manual labor but running and growing the business would scratch that itch.

I think coming to the realization that I really did end up doing something that was true to the young me helped quiet some of the demons I was battling. Be true to your roots.  What is it that you uncovered about the real you during your introspection and reflections? Come to grips with it and then play into your strong suit.

This Week’s Talk

“Why, it’s old Fezziwig! Bless his heart; it’s Fezziwig alive again!” a couple sentences later we read… “Dick Wilkins, to be sure!” Said Scrooge to the ghost. “Bless me, yes. He was very much attached to me, was Dick. Poor Dick! Dear, dear.“

Last week our episode had Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past arriving at Fezziwig’s. We reflected on the past people, places and things. This week, just a few sentences later I want to dig into the reaction Scrooge has when he sees Fezziwig, and his old workmate Dick Wilkins. This cranky, cantankerous, cold, wretch of a human being suddenly turns fondly reminiscent about his old boss and his coworker.  Seems to me this shows that below that cold exterior lies a sensitive and warm person.  In Scrooge’s case, the spirits are taking the initiative to bring about Scrooge’s reformation. He didn’t decide he wanted to take his life to a new level and head forth on his own. He was pushed into what becomes his reformation and then takes it forward as we get to the end of the story.  In your case, you are taking control of your life and wanting to have a more fulfilling life.  I would guess, if you are honest about it, you have your own “spirits” pushing you to find peace and a more soulful life path. We never hear about what happened to Dick Wilkins but I get the sense that if he was still alive, Scrooge may have tracked him down and made amends for having turned away and forgetting their friendship since he vowed to become as a good a friend as there was.

This Week’s Assignment

Your assignment this week is to think about someone from your background that you would rejoice in seeing again? I drew upon an interesting memory when I was doing this. I was in high school and a kid that I new from grade school walked into class and I was so excited to see him again that I shouted out his name. That memory is etched into my memory and in reflection it has a few wrinkles. Oddly, I actually don’t have any memories of him before that time and don’t remember having any memories like “oh, there is Rick.  I have not seen him since we were in 3^rd grade together”. Nope, just seems like he must have been a close friend such that I reacted so strongly upon seeing him but no specific instant recollection. I have thought about this many times and wonder if it is just memory fading or if this tells me something about how the mind works.  Did my mind make a note that Rick was an important person and put his memory into a special file someplace even though the specific memories of us were lost?

Who is your version of Dick Wilkins? Reflect on them and the person you were at that time. What does this say about you? What do they represent and why is it that you picked them from all the people in your past? How does reflecting on this person help you get closer to the true you?

See you next week…