After several months of mind-numbing fear and uncertainty,
Randy finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
For almost eight years, the marketing consultant ran a small agency. His business grew steadily. Randy felt he was doing important work helping his clients get online. His work was rewarding and satisfying.
Personally, Randy, a serial monogamist. He’s been dating Sarah, a successful freelance graphic designer for a year. He was starting to see Sarah as “the one.” He and Sarah were talking marriage and merging their two businesses. Randy figured he was set for life.
Then the calm waters turned angry and fast.
The Tides of Change
Seemingly overnight, Randy lost his edge. His work became drudgery. His efforts to attract larger clients didn’t work. He lost every bid for six months, and his bills weren’t getting paid.
In a sharp turn, Sarah was no longer interested in building a life with him. The merger was off, and their relationship was heading straight for the rocks. Their opposite-ness was no longer attracting. Their differences were driving them apart.
The harder Randy tried, the worse things got. He became cynical and resigned. Anxiety and depression clouded his thinking.
Randy’s closest friends and his family wanted him to see a doctor, to get some “help.” But one of the bills he couldn’t pay was his insurance. Going to the doctor wasn’t going to happen.
After six aimless months, Randy’s eyes were dead.
He felt like a zombie with way out. Then things got worse.
On the same day, Sarah dumped him, his largest client gave him 30-days notice they were leaving.
Things always get darkest before they go pitch black.
In complete despair and wallowing in a very dark pity party, Randy had a funny thought. Actually, 3-thoughts popped into his mind at the same time.
- He heard Howard Stern saying meditation is like “brushing your teeth.”
- He saw a high school cheerleader chanting. “You can-can. You know you can. You can-can, you must.”
- My batteries are dead but rechargeable.
For a few seconds after the three epiphanies, Randy felt dumbfounded. The cheer cheered him up. Howard Stern’s (whom Randy despised) meditation quote “felt right.” And he already felt his dead batteries recharging.
Grabbing his idea journal, Randy did a brain-dump.
After filling five pages, he felt lighter. His writing revealed a light at the end of the tunnel. The bottom line, Randy knew daily meditation would recharge his batteries and lead him out of this dark place.
Randy had a feeling his battery recharger was had solar powered. But instead of the sun, they charger used his “inner-light” as a power source. And meditation would somehow focus his “inner light” onto the charger.
Randy had no clue how he knew all this stuff. But know, he did. Not only did Randy know, but he was also confident about this knowing.
He summarized his “knowings” into several points:
- “I know meditating will recharge my spiritual batteries.”
- “I know my recharged batteries will end my depression and anxiety.”
- “I know that when I’m not feeling depressed and anxious, I will be able to sleep.”
- “I know proper sleep will reactivate my creativity.”
- “I know my creativity will get me out of this dark place and feeling like a winner again.”
Feeling alive and re-energized, Randy started figuring out how the heck to meditate.
Before closing his idea-journal, Randy wrote a question below the list of “knowings.”