A Small Job in Spiral Time
By Elle Dooley
What happens when you take your Elder self back to a job you were new at 25 years ago?
On June 3rd I returned to the world of full-time employment. My partner was laid off and for several months I watched our financial safety net dwindle – how quickly that happens will surprise no one. I updated my resume after 5 years in retirement and placed it on one of the forums for job seekers. I made it publicly available but didn’t apply for a job. I wanted to see what would happen - an open invitation for the Universe to reveal the possibilities.
Less than 48 hours later I was working for someone else again.
I’m glad it happened so quickly, before paralysis set in. Before I could truly imagine setting an alarm clock for 6:00 AM and leaving my beloved home each morning Monday through Friday. Those are the things that I don’t love.
The things that I do love are the result of entering spiral time. I have the management position that I first held almost 25 years ago, before I went on to become an executive in the field. There is a lively curiosity about the difference I experience, first at 47 years of age, and then again at nearly 72. Here’s what’s different on this turn of the spiral.
I’m not pushing to prove myself. I’ve already been successful and have the wisdom of past mistakes. I don’t have to pay for those mistakes again. So it doesn’t feel like I’m not out to prove anything to anyone else either. I’m free to simply serve.
I’m not looking for a promotion or to move up the corporate ladder. Being content right where I am allows me to feel joyful and spacious. Let it be easy.
I don’t have to work to survive. I perform well because it’s important to me, not because someone is evaluating my performance as leverage to taking on an impossible workload.
Instead of using coach training to get high paying C Suite clients, I get to coach younger hourly workers who appreciate that someone wants them to succeed.
I have an opportunity to see if I can walk my spiritual talk. My relationship with time has not been tested in the corporate environment, with all its deadlines and the pressure of insane productivity. So far, I’m finding that the insights gained from deep personal work make a noticeable difference in how I respond, in how my body responds. It resonates in my management style. It creates sacred space in an otherwise sterile office setting.
So far, everyone seems to welcome the round table I’ve turned into a lunar altar. It’s only been a month. We’ll see how it goes!
What do you imagine would happen if your Elder self showed up for a job, or a relationship, or anything in the spiral time of your past?
