A few years after I was hired because I was innovative and creative, I was fired for my innovations and creativity. I was hired because I was unique and fired when I resisted domestication. I was promoted because I was willing to tell the truth, and fired when that truth did not reflect the desires of those in charge. In the end, my strengths challenged the dysfunctional but stable structure of the fading institution. I knew that the emperor wore no clothes.
It would have been easy to rage at the institution and administration, to demand that they acknowledge their own resistance to change and closed-minded assumptions. And yet, that well-trodden path would have led me nowhere. Instead, I choose to understand that the universe was gifting me exactly what I had asked for, freedom to hike my own trail.
It is possible to leave without malice, and simultaneously have no desire to return to any similar situation. We can acknowledge that we were not what the organization needed, take responsibility for our actions and behaviors, and leave without placing blame. It is just time to move on.
So I gathered up my transformative ideas, turned away from anger and resentment, and let the shadow of conforming to others’ rules fall behind me. It is true that sometimes we find ourselves by rejecting the empty judgments of others. In doing so, we create boundaries that guard our wisdom and keep it sacred. It is this secret inspiration in our hearts that guides us on our unique journey.
This is brilliant.
Such profound advice!