Closed Doors Lead to Exciting Opportunites

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2061

Abstract

earn how to ski that fast.It took almost 2 years of stubborn trying, trying, and trying again before I finally realized perhaps I wasn’t cut out to be a professional skier. But I kept on hanging. It wasn’t until my I lost my last minimum wage job and my car engine blew up at the same time that I finally realized professional skiing was not my destiny. So I closed that door shut by joining the Air Force.Well, it didn’t take too many months in the Air Force before I realized that a career as an enlisted airman wasn’t my destiny either. It began to dawn on me that no matter what I was going to do in the future, I needed to pursue a college education and get my bachelor’s degree if the next opportunity was going to present itself.So, I finished my degree, and sure enough, the next opportunity presented itself. Just before I finished a professional certificate as an instructor, I was presented with the opportunity to become an Air Force officer. But before I could accept my commission, I had to go to a three-month Officer training program, which meant closing the door on my instructor certificate and my enlisted career. The choice was pretty easy, but it still meant that I had to firmly close the door on my ‘safe’ enlisted career — without any guarantee that I would be able to complete the grueling three-month Officer candidate program. Again, an opportunity did not fully present itself until I firmly closed the door on my comfortable position as an enlisted person.Fast-forward to the end of my Air Force career. While I loved my time in the Air Force, at the end of my career, I found myself dealing with two very difficult higher-ranking officers as my supervisors. These two were the ‘poster children’ (the best examples) of why people leave their positions. My job became so difficult, that all I wanted to do was retire — in fact, it led me to retire 9 months before I was really ready. I was so frustrated, that I set an end-date for my retirement that I could not cha

Options

nge. Not only did I close the door, I slammed it shut.Within two months of this final decision, a great opportunity came up for my first civilian position. I was going to be a logistics and transportation analyst for a company called Computer Sciences Corporation, working with the US Forces Korea staff trying to solve all manner of supply and transportation issues for the US military in Korea. There was only one slight problem — I had to start in only two weeks.I had to scramble to get out in only two weeks (bureaucracies just love paperwork), but because I had already set the final date, getting processed out was easier. Closing the door had led to this wonderful opportunity.I could give you many other examples, but here’s the point. If you find yourself struggling with where you are, in a dead-end job, or frustrating situation (perhaps a difficult boss or troublesome co-workers that you just can’t deal with), maybe it’s time to close the door. Don’t be afraid to close that door, for wonderful opportunities often exist on the other side of that open door. But you’ve got to be willing to walk through the door and close it firmly behind you. Not only do you have to close it, but you have to lock it behind and throw away the key.Is that scary? You bet it is — and that’s why many people don’t move forward, because they keep that door open. Some don’t even walk through it, and some, having walked through it, keep it open so that if things go bad they can jump back to their nice comfortable life. But to move forward, you’ve got to close that door, lock it behind you, and throw away the key. I found that opportunities and possibilities beyond that door are endless.So what about you? Will you take that leap of faith? More importantly, will you close that door of difficulty and frustration behind you? Endless possibilities await — so the question is “Will you close that door and open yourself to new possibilities?” It’s up to you!</article></body>

Closed Doors Lead to Exciting Opportunities

Have you ever been at a place in your life where you just knew things weren’t working out? And you this funny feeling that you just needed to be doing something different? But you just couldn’t let go, because even though you were very frustrated with what life was handing you, life was just too darn comfortable? Ever had those feelings? I know I have!

There is a way to overcome this dilemma. I believe that holding on to our comfortable past often gets in the way of us exploring exciting opportunities that await us in the future. To move forward we first have to firmly close the door behind us.

I’m about to close the door on my current stage in life, and I’m looking forward to my future opportunities. I’m looking forward to being a writer, author, and professional speaker. I’m excited about all the possibilities. But first I have to close the door on my current occupation because it is getting in the way of all these opportunities. It won’t get here fast enough!

But looking back through my entire life, I can clearly see that I never took advantage of the opportunities that were always in front of me UNTIL I closed the door. I mean closed it tightly shut, on whatever frustrating situation I found myself in. Let me give you a couple of examples.

When I graduated high school, my parents wanted me to go to college and start a professional career. But that’s not what I wanted. I wanted to be the next world’s downhill ski champion. There was only one small problem. I could never get my skis to go beyond 50 km/hour without becoming mortally terrified of the speed. Even back in the 1970s, world-class ski champions skied at speeds of over 120 km/hour. I was never, ever going to learn how to ski that fast.

It took almost 2 years of stubborn trying, trying, and trying again before I finally realized perhaps I wasn’t cut out to be a professional skier. But I kept on hanging. It wasn’t until my I lost my last minimum wage job and my car engine blew up at the same time that I finally realized professional skiing was not my destiny. So I closed that door shut by joining the Air Force.

Well, it didn’t take too many months in the Air Force before I realized that a career as an enlisted airman wasn’t my destiny either. It began to dawn on me that no matter what I was going to do in the future, I needed to pursue a college education and get my bachelor’s degree if the next opportunity was going to present itself.

So, I finished my degree, and sure enough, the next opportunity presented itself. Just before I finished a professional certificate as an instructor, I was presented with the opportunity to become an Air Force officer. But before I could accept my commission, I had to go to a three-month Officer training program, which meant closing the door on my instructor certificate and my enlisted career. The choice was pretty easy, but it still meant that I had to firmly close the door on my ‘safe’ enlisted career — without any guarantee that I would be able to complete the grueling three-month Officer candidate program. Again, an opportunity did not fully present itself until I firmly closed the door on my comfortable position as an enlisted person.

Fast-forward to the end of my Air Force career. While I loved my time in the Air Force, at the end of my career, I found myself dealing with two very difficult higher-ranking officers as my supervisors. These two were the ‘poster children’ (the best examples) of why people leave their positions. My job became so difficult, that all I wanted to do was retire — in fact, it led me to retire 9 months before I was really ready. I was so frustrated, that I set an end-date for my retirement that I could not change. Not only did I close the door, I slammed it shut.

Within two months of this final decision, a great opportunity came up for my first civilian position. I was going to be a logistics and transportation analyst for a company called Computer Sciences Corporation, working with the US Forces Korea staff trying to solve all manner of supply and transportation issues for the US military in Korea. There was only one slight problem — I had to start in only two weeks.

I had to scramble to get out in only two weeks (bureaucracies just love paperwork), but because I had already set the final date, getting processed out was easier. Closing the door had led to this wonderful opportunity.

I could give you many other examples, but here’s the point. If you find yourself struggling with where you are, in a dead-end job, or frustrating situation (perhaps a difficult boss or troublesome co-workers that you just can’t deal with), maybe it’s time to close the door. Don’t be afraid to close that door, for wonderful opportunities often exist on the other side of that open door. But you’ve got to be willing to walk through the door and close it firmly behind you. Not only do you have to close it, but you have to lock it behind and throw away the key.

Is that scary? You bet it is — and that’s why many people don’t move forward, because they keep that door open. Some don’t even walk through it, and some, having walked through it, keep it open so that if things go bad they can jump back to their nice comfortable life. But to move forward, you’ve got to close that door, lock it behind you, and throw away the key. I found that opportunities and possibilities beyond that door are endless.

So what about you? Will you take that leap of faith? More importantly, will you close that door of difficulty and frustration behind you? Endless possibilities await — so the question is “Will you close that door and open yourself to new possibilities?” It’s up to you!