Linda was at a crossroads. Again.
It was being late for work that shed light on the mystery of how she got her.
For the past 7 years, Linda felt lost. Even though it never seemed like it at the time, she was traveling circles. The circles always led her back to this same exact place. This same decision.
Despite working hard and always doing the “right thing,” she never got ahead. Linda was living proof of the glass ceiling. Something wasn’t adding up, but she couldn’t figure out what.
Linda was competent in her career—she always received excellent performance reviews. Linda was a kind, considerate, and attentive girlfriend who never argued. Lastly, Linda was financially responsible. She was on track to retire mortgage-free with a pension and a big fat retirement account.
But this time it was different, her health was suffering. At 46-years old, Linda was in decent shape with no significant health problems, except for one…. She was horribly depressed and plagued by anxiety. Her depression and anxiety were starting to affect her job performance.
Linda’s final straw was being passed over for the promotion to Regional Manager, again. Everyone in her office presumed the job was hers, but for the third time she didn’t get promoted.
Standing at this crossroads again was familiar to Linda but somehow different.
The difference being Linda had been meditating for three months. She started meditating to cope with her depression and anxiety. Her doctor told her to meditate or take drugs. Linda chose meditation.
Her meditation practice included keeping a journal. Her journal entries quickly revealed the source of her depression and anxiety. But it wasn’t what she thought it was. Linda felt the fear of threatening to quit if she didn’t get promoted caused the problems.
But it was her 20th year work anniversary that shed light on the mystery.
Linda remembered a promise she made to herself ten years earlier. The problem was that she’d completely forgotten about the pledge she made to herself. On her tenth work anniversary, Linda’s received a notice from HR stating that her pension was 15% vested.
She could quit her job and guaranteed pension payments in her retirement, for the rest of her life. That day, she promised herself to stay at this company until she was 100% vested in 10 years.
Linda hated everything about her work life. Every day she walked into her cubicle, a little piece of her soul died.
Harry, Linda’s fiancé, told her to quit. The more his pressure to resign increased, the more her depression and anxiety she became unmanageable. But she hung on to her job for dear life, but unclear why.
Then, one morning after meditating, Linda noticed she was late for work. That thought triggered the memory of the promise she made to herself ten years earlier.
She smiled, she only had to hang in there four more months. She’d be fully vested and could quit her job…
A burden lifted from her shoulders. Linda could do four months standing on her head. Her depression and anxiety began to subside immediately.
What intrigued Linda most was how she wasn’t upset about Harry’s growing distance. In her clarity, Linda knew she would never marry anyone who didn’t accept her career decisions.
Harry was right about needing to quit, but he didn’t respect her process for making it happen. He was not the proper partner for her life.
Linda’s promise to reach 100% vesting was the missing variable. 1+1 always total 3 because she couldn’t quit until after her 20 year anniversary. Everything Linda did brought her closer to keeping a long forgotten promise.
For Linda, meditation ended her depression and anxiety but not the way she thought it would. She thought meditating was like cardio or strength training, but for the mind. Meditation opened Linda’s eyes to see how her actions made perfect sense..
Linda was excited to see where else she’d made action altering promises that were influencing her life…
Let’s start getting happy!