“Keep in mind that challenging times can result in magical creations.” - Unknown

This year my professional setting has been a challenging one, so when I saw this quote in a random art calendar, I saved it and kept it close to my desk.  After an acquisition, my team experienced sudden and drastic layoffs, which resulted in a totally different work dynamic for me.  I went from being a “new” Director on a team to being the most senior and most tenured Director on a team in a moment’s notice (during Vacation in St. Martin/St. Barths)!

However, instead of retreating, resenting my boss, feeling “overwhelmed”, being demanding “more pay for more work”... I kept my head down and handled it all with exceptional professionalism and dug deeper into a skill set I didn’t even know I had.  After holding down the fort for several months, gradually I found myself on-boarding “new” hires at each level SVP, VP, Director… until the team was complete once again.

I knew that in challenging times something magical was working beyond my understanding.  So when I hired the person who could easily be my “replacement”, that day I felt my work here was done and applied for one job that I saw posted online.  During the interview process it was clear to me that this was my magic.  The job was newly created position, the offices were newly relocated to a better part of town and the offer was presented to me just before I got married - and it exceeded my expectations.  

I share this not to gloat, but as a reminder to keep your eyes open for your personal magical creation during challenging times...it’s always on the other side when you ‘do your part’ with grace and listen to your inner voice to find it.