In business, and in life, we often seek to control everything we
can. We try to control our jobs, our careers, our schedules and more.
We seek to remove the accidental, the random and unfortunately, the
serendipitous. Instead of trying to control everything about your
life, you might want to "let go" every now and then and
see what happens. In my own experience, wonderful things can often
arise.
Why keep control?
The fact is, I believe we try to control our lives because we are
scared of surprises. We think that by managing every aspect of our
lives, we will develop a perfect job and a perfect life with no bad
surprises to send us off track. Of course, you already know what
folly that is. Life throws us curveballs at every turn. For me, any
sense of control is fleeting at best. There is always something that
pops up and proves the quote, "The best-laid plans of mice and
men go oft awry (or astray)." Robert Burns certainly knew what
he was talking about when he wrote that in his poem, To A Mouse.
Yet, we still try to control the world around us. I know this because,
as anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a worrier. I always
want to know where we are going, when we should arrive, where
we will
park, and in general what will happen? I try to suppress this as
much as possible, but it often gets the better of me. Which is
why I find it so amazing and energizing when great things happen
out
of the blue. In fact, I am actively seeking out these opportunities
these days -- and you should, too.
Why not Let Go
My most recent experiences with letting go has come from attending
the local BarCampLA and related events here in Los Angeles. These
un-conferences are typically organized only up to a point. The
organizers find a date, a location and sponsors, but the conference
itself is
usually entirely ad hoc. Each attendee selects a topic to present
and places their talk on a grid for the day. After a welcome and
introductions, away we go.
My goodness is this an amazing concept, but it takes a certain
amount of trust and willingness to let go to make it happen.
You have to
trust that others will have something interesting to say and that
they will also want to hear your presentation. In my experience
here in Los Angeles, this has been the case each time. I find
it something
like the magic that occurs opening night of a play or musical.
(My degree is in theater, so I have some experience with this.)
Whatever
troubles might have plagued you during dress rehearsals suddenly
melt away and the show comes together on opening night.
Fight the urge
Unfortunately, even in this rarified environment, you still have
to beat back the grasping clutches of control. As I attend more
of these events, I see organizers who, through fear or lack of
trust,
want to control every moment of the day. Instead of an ad hoc assembly
of presentations, everything is timed out to the moment -- turning
it into more of a traditional conference than the unconference
model they still use to describe it.
Somewhere along the way, the organizers seemed to have lost the
trust that everything would work out. They have fallen victim
to the belief
that controlling the environment insures a great conference. Instead,
they might be insuring that the conference never rises above the
typical or the mundane. By lacking trust they bring about the very
scenario they were hoping to avoid.
Letting go of control, and fighting the urge to control, can open
up amazing worlds of creativity, if we let it. You have to trust
both in yourself and others, though, that the magic will happen --
the show will go on. As a "worrier" I know how hard it
can be to let go of control, but experience has shown me just how
powerful it can be -- at the right time and in the right situations.
If you want to give your career a boost, find some place where you
can engage the random, the odd, the serendipitous. I can guarantee
you will be surprised with the results.
Career
Opportunities
