Get in the Shower
My sister told me a German saying she learned when she worked overseas. "Wasch mich, aber mach mich nicht nass." You want the shower but you don't want to get wet.
You want the result but you're not willing to step into the discomfort it requires to get there.
I can't shake it. It's been running through my head, pressing me to look at my own life honestly. Where do I want change but I'm standing outside the shower? Where am I hoping things will just rearrange themselves without me stepping in?
I'm in the back half of my career. Some might think that means it gets easier. It doesn't. Industries are consolidating. Layoffs are constant. The ground shifts and you either move with it or wait for someone to move you.
I decided to move.
I'm starting a new job. I'm really excited about it. And I'm nervous. Because it came from getting in the shower. From months of honest conversations with myself about what I wanted, what I was willing to do to get it, and what was going to happen if I didn't.
If I hadn't made the moves that were right for me, a lot of decisions were going to be made on my behalf. That thought scared me more than the unknown.
I don't know what's ahead. But I know I'm definitely in the shower. And I'd rather be here, choosing the temperature, than standing outside hoping someone adjusts it for me.