The old saying goes, “Everywhere you go, there you are.” You just can’t outrun yourself.
You can rearrange the furniture on the Titanic all you want, but it’s about to get really messed up and uncomfortably wet to sit on.
Keith Cunningham, author of Keys to the Vault, talks of the “buffet line syndrome.” “Life is like a buffet line,” Keith says. “When you’re standing at the end of the line, it seems so long people jump out of line. They quickly find the other buffet lines are longer, too. So, they jump back into the first buffet line, which is now longer, and they’ve lost valuable time. They stay in that line until they can’t stand it anymore, and then jump back out … only to have to get back in again later.”
You know people with this syndrome.
Julie accepts an offer from a new company … but she’ll be sure to struggle there as well, because a certain level of organization is necessary for any person who has a career. She learned nothing from an opportunity to learn something from her supervisor who repeatedly suggested that she develop her organization skills.
Casey is sure to discover that detail, quality, and understanding his work will be necessary to succeed at his next job, too. He will be hearing similar words, if not the same ones, on his next performance review from yet another boss who, in Casey’s opinion, fails to see his brilliance.
Andrea will soon find herself running into “jerks” even as she travels. Imagine that! Some will ruin her trip. And they’ll be at her next job, too! Hmmm. Could it be that it’s her own filter causing her to see people as jerks?
Have you heard about the five-year-old who asked his mother as she drove him to kindergarten, “Mommy, where are all the buttholes and jerks today?” Mom replied, “Oh honey, they’re only out when your dad drives.”
Until you dance with your devil and commit with all your heart to break through whatever holds you back, your life will be like the movie “Groundhog Day.” You’ll repeat the same day over and over with the same results.
Running from yourself is the fastest way to secure a mediocre life. The only way to the other side of your struggles is to sprint straight through them so you can remain in the buffet line.