Returning Out of Your Safe Hole

With tales of rabbits and spacecraft, let me help those of you who are either venturing out into unknown territory or more particularly, those who once more about to make their way in the world after a period of safe haven.

There`s a reasonably large area of grass right next to my office, and it is quite common to see rabbits when I arrive in the mornings. They feed of the fresh grass and the latest plants that the landscape gardeners have kindly left. They appear quite content and blissfully unaware of any dangers. Unaware that is, until a sudden movement catches their eye or a disturbing sound catches their ear. With the appearance of either of these, they bolt down the nearest hole faster than lightening.

In contrast, there is a large roundabout (for my American friends: an intersection with a round (sometimes oval) plot of land in the middle), not too far from town. My family and I affectionately call it “Rabbit Roundabout” due to the large populous of wild rabbits living in and on it. These rabbits are different. From babies to the more long in the tooth relations, they can be found eating the grass at various times of the day with traffic passing within a few feet of their “dining area”. Do they disappear with the movement or loud noise of engines and stereo systems built on wheels? No. They take no notice.

Let me take you into space for a minute. When a space craft is to return to earth, various manoeuvres have to take place to ensure that it is in the right place at the right time and facing the right direction at the right angle. Why? If they failed to do so, any one of a number of catastrophic events could occur, including the complete destruction of the craft and all on board. To re-enter and return to Earth, everything must be properly planned and executed.

Some of the rabbits on that roundabout could do with learning similar principles. These are the adventurous ones. Those who decide that living on the island is no longer good enough and venture out to pastures new. Crossing that road is a dangerous affair and many a rabbit has never been heard of again.

Some do make it though. They reach that other land and we hope live a happy life. These are the ones that do not attempt to leave the island until it is safe to do so and once they set paw on that unfamiliar road, nothing stops them. They just go for it!

Meanwhile, the rabbits back near my office continue to replenish themselves on the well worn grass and whatever else they might find. There is no real sense of adventure with these rabbits. They just…well, exist.

So what has the re-entry of spacecraft got to do with rabbits? For that matter, what have either got to do with you and your life? If you are one of those people looking to make a fresh start in life or returning to a particular sector of it after a long break, then it has quite a lot to do with you.

Let`s get the groundwork done first, which brings me nicely back to the rabbits again! When it comes to making some kind of a comeback or a re-appearance on the scene after being away from things for a while, let me ask you a question. What is your strongest driving force in relation to this issue? Your honest answer to this question will determine your outcome. For example, if you are taking this step out of deep set desire and opportunity, then you are likely to succeed. If you are doing so as a result of some unexpected circumstance that has placed you in such a position, you are likely to struggle. (Though this may not be a lasting struggle). So – are you at this point in your life because you have to be or because you choose to be? In rabbit terms, are you here for the food or the adventure?

The good news is, that it doesn`t matter – as long as. “As long as what?” I here you ask. As long as you have the right approach.

The right approach is not some deep complex thing that you need to understand. It isn`t even new. It can be found within the words of many famous writers, speakers and valuable texts, including the Bible. To quote from the latter, it says: “As a man thinketh, so is he”. This is the point where some readers cringe as the word “positive” once more invades their space. Are you one of these? If so, you could well have an obstacle before you.

Are you facing any of the following situations or something similar?

Returning To Work
Returning To Education
Taking on an additional marriage
Deciding to have children after a break
Finding yourself facing the world alone

When we come up against challenges and obstacles in our lives we generally do one of three things. We fight against it, we run away from it, or we embrace it head on. Using our friend the rabbit as an example again, consider the rabbit’s particular behaviour patterns when venturing outside its burrow. There are those that sit right on the edge of the burrow ready for an immediate bolt down the hole again, those that perhaps venture a little further afield, and those who really know what adventure is. Where do you fit? What are you doing with your existence right now?

If you are going through any of the above situations what are you doing about them? How are you handling them? Are you just sitting on the edge of your safety zone read to bolt home again? Or are you perhaps just cautiously dabbling in an effort to see how “safe” it is? Or are you of the more adventurous type and have thrown caution to the wind and dived headlong into the sea of life? Which of these do you think is the “right” path to take? Maybe you can think of an alternative path.

My wife makes very good stew. It doesn`t consist of simply one ingredient. If it did, it would not be anywhere near as appetizing. It does not consist of just two vegetables. You will find a whole range of vegetables swimming around in there fighting for space amongst the meat. (My mouth is fair watering just thinking about it!) When it comes to embarking on your future, there is something to be learned from the stew recipe. You could attempt a stew with just the one vegetable, but it would be pretty bland and boring. You could be just a little more adventurous with it, but it still wouldn`t be enough to give it that special something. No, you really need to add some of everything to give it that special taste.

Is your recipe whole, or are you simply on the edge, ready to bolt down your hole again? Have you perhaps ventured a little way out, but at the slightest opposition ready to dive for the safety of your burrow? Or are you out there just waiting for the moment to come when you launch out into that unfamiliar territory?

I would like to think that you are considerably smarter than even the smartest of rabbits! This being the case, you can handle a little self examination and some planning before you set off on your great adventure.

What have you done in preparation for your great adventure? We examined briefly and in a very basic way, the preparations necessary for a space craft to attempt a landing on earth. We talked about the need for everything to be prepared and in order before the attempt is made. So, do you have everything possible prepared and in order prior to your attempt at landing that new job, new partner, new qualification, new baby and so forth?

As nice as it would be, you cannot be prepared for every little eventuality that happens along, but you certainly can for the main events. All you need to do right now, is provide solid answers to a few questions:

1)Do I really want this in my life?
2)What steps do I need to take to make this happen?
3)What would I do if it really happened? How would I handle it? How would I feel? (Okay, so I squeezed a few questions into that one!)
4)Are your “ingredients” complete?

In my ebook “Take Control of Your Life”, one of the chapters is centered on “Living In The Now”. Aside from attempting to change our concept of time, (you have to read it to believe it!), it points out that preparation is the key to meeting eventualities successfully. If you really want to leave your “hole”, then before you set foot to floor, thoroughly examine the path ahead and do as much as you can to prepare for what may lie ahead. Your success may depend on it!

Enjoy your future – it`s up to you what road you take.