Ruth Kalinka Designs

Today, I finished the day job on a very happy note. My replacements (yes, it took 2!) are lovely and ready to run the show. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to tell most of our regular patients at the chiropractic office that I would be leaving and to share my exciting new plans during the past month.

Most wanted to stay in touch, made sure we exchanged contact details, asked me to keep them posted, invited me to meet for lunch, and insisted that this is not goodbye, just “see you later”. I left with lots of hugs, congratulations, well wishes, love, and everyone very confident in my future. Several wished me luck and then immediately added that I don’t actually need luck; that I’ll be amazing in anything I do.

From the beginning, it was inevitable that I would eventually outgrow the day job and need to focus afresh on my professional goals. However, it was a wonderful fit for a long time. I loved the people and the impact I had on both the business and people’s lives. I practically bounced into the office each morning, excited for the day ahead. But, in the end, I’d also experienced the growing pains of leaving the nest for a few months, and it was time to move on.

As I left today, walking in the brilliant summery sunshine on an unseasonably warm spring day, I was moved by the realization that by taking my next steps, I was also allowing two wonderful women to take theirs. How lucky I was to find that space when I did, and now it’s their turn.

What’s Next?

Chasing what’s next is another project, but now there is more time and space for that focus. Assuming everything comes together in a timely fashion, all will truly be well.

I’ve been talking to people in my network and searching for new opportunities in design and social media. Working directly with people at the day job has been delightful, and I want more of that in my tech career. I have enjoyed touching so many lives and want to continue engaging with people online and off.

Being able to be transparent with our patient community during this process has been wonderful. I’ve been free to have open, passionate conversations about my future and received such an outpouring of love and enthusiasm from everyone.

As I move on, I will also return to this community in new ways. Next week, I’ll cover a shift for one of my replacements. I’ll also keep getting adjusted while I make changes in my life. And I’ll keep seeing the wonderful people I’ve grown to love in my time there.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. While my future details are in flux (and the task list is quite astounding), I am on to exciting new adventures!

I hope all is well in your world! Thanks for being part of mine.

Tonight, I am 99% sure I know where I am moving. While the process has been all-consuming and exhausting on every level, my housing search has actually only lasted 12 days.

On this journey, I have made new friends, met potential clients, practiced Chinese, connected with a spiritual community, and walked all over Philadelphia to see the insides of about 40 properties – and to hunt for phone numbers to many more.

This winding path has provided new experiences and clarified the answer. Remarkably, though, I discovered today that one phone call 12 days ago probably would have revealed the same destination! For many reasons, it was clearly necessary to take the journey and to go deeper within myself, rather than to know immediately. I needed to immerse myself fully in the uncertainty and reach out to anyone and everyone for leads every day. That may be one of the biggest lessons of the past 12 days.

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Haneberg, author of Two Weeks to a Breakthrough. One of the techniques she talked about in her presentation, and encouraged me personally to practice, was to zero in on your goal and share it with two new people each day.

I shared this goal with dozens more than two people each day and received helpful suggestions and introductions from strangers all over town. It got easier all the time to strike up conversations about my goal anywhere – on street corners, in shops, at a festival, etc. – and the adventure unfolded in unexpected directions as new clues were revealed.

I haven’t thought about my conversation with Lisa or her book in a long time, but as I watched myself pounding the pavement and talking to anyone and everyone about my quest, I grinned as I suddenly remembered her advice. Thanks, Lisa, you were right!

It’s easy to find excuses not to reach out and ask, but unless we put ourselves out there, how can we get what we want?

How important it is to appreciate the journey and serendipity, even when we just want answers and certainty!

At the moment, I am pursuing a specific deadlined goal of finding a new home. The search is exhausting, with many twists and turns, hopes and disappointments, and miles of walking neighborhoods I didn’t even know existed.

Along the way, surprising new opportunities and friendships have appeared, revealing meaning in the journey itself. By being present to meet this goal, I am in exactly the right place for serendipitous encounters… a big blinking sign that I’m on the right path!

How often do we allow the journey itself to be meaningful? How often do we talk to strangers, striking up new friendships in unfamiliar spaces? How often do we focus on what isn’t done, while missing the beauty and opportunity of what would never have been discovered if we had already accomplished the goal?

If this housing search had been resolved with the first place I visited, I would have missed so many amazing connections and discoveries that have appeared since. While there have been frustrations, my life is richer for the journey. My community and inspirations have grown.

These moments (and encouraging friends!) help me continue taking steps forward with optimism, trusting that things will work out – which they always do, when I allow myself to embrace synchronicity.

Sometimes I just need to be reminded of that simple truth. Don’t we all?