Where You Are is Exactly Where You Need to Be
Photo: Ben White, Unsplash
Have you ever had a book recommended to you at the exact time in your life when you needed that information? Or, have a solution to a problem come your way magically? I’m always amazed at how perfectly orchestrated life can be.
Since I do consulting work, I often find myself in between jobs. As soon as one assignment ends, the usual question everyone asks me is what I’m going to do next. My answer is always the same — “I’m waiting to see what the universe brings.” Going with the flow of the universe has created opportunities I never could have imagined or planned such as conducting a workshop for UNICEF in China or running a spiritual retreat center or leading meditations for women in a homeless shelter.
A few years ago, I stepped in as the Interim Executive Director for a Cable TV station and media center. I was really excited about the job, which is my barometer on whether or not to pursue anything. If it excites me, I go for it. If it doesn’t, I move on. The timing was perfect and the position combined two of my biggest passions — helping organizations through transitions and inspiring people through media. In fact, for many years, I had the words “Inspiring Media and Wisdom” printed on the back of my business cards.
After landing the job as Interim Executive Director, I realized I had also landed in the perfect place at the perfect time, and that it had little to do with the job itself. One sign came within the first couple of weeks. I learned about a video series they were producing with actors and role playing to help parents foster deeper and meaningful relationships with their children. It was created after a number of teen suicides had occurred in the area, giving parents a mission to better understand teen challenges and to prevent teen suicide. Having experienced the suicide of my own sister, I knew first-hand how suicide can not only destroy, but also unite families and communities. I had already written my book, Vita’s Will, about losing my sister and three other family members. It helped me give a voice to a topic that was often swept under the rug. Being at the media center reignited my passion around suicide prevention, and I was able to speak about my personal journey with the show producers.
An even bigger sign that I was in the right place came shortly thereafter. One day, the staff was informed that the former executive director’s husband had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. He only had a couple of months left to live. Since the director and the staff had worked together for decades, they were all like family. The news was devastating to the entire organization, and I could certainly see the emotional toll it was taking on the team. I had lost two family members from cancer, and had learned and written a lot about the process. I was also trained in meditation, which I knew could help people through many painful situations. So, I decided to offer and guide a weekly meditation healing session for anyone who wanted to attend.
Conducting regular meditation sessions was certainly not part of what I signed up for in my contracted scope of work, but I knew it was the right thing to do, and offering it came very naturally to me. Many of the team members attended the meditations and sometimes, we even did two sessions per week. In addition, the former director attended via phone. Everyone felt the sessions were healing to themselves and each other leading up to and after the former director’ loss. I knew a big part of the reason why the universe brought to that particular company at that particular time was to help that particular team through it all.
Even though bad luck always seems to come at the worse time, I do believe we are always in the right place at the right time. Life’s challenges give us an opportunity (and a choice) to stand strong and make a positive difference. My sister’s suicide and family deaths changed the trajectory of my entire life and career, but then I got to lead an organization that was producing a show to help others heal and prevent suicide. And, I got to help a few people find a better way to cope with loss. I don’t know what future opportunities the universe will bring my way, but I do know this – today, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be!
By Debbie Gisonni
P.S. To find out more about my book, Vita’s Will, go to this page.