I don’t even really know how to start this one. I had almost forgotten about the octopus. To a certain extent, through PD, networking, self-reflection and work in general, I felt like I reached a flow-state, where I was following my career path almost algorithmically. We visited the topic of The Yearning Octopus back in November 2019. I have a vague picture of what I thought my octopus looked like at the time. Upon reflection, I’ve been informally updating different tentacles of the whole body as I progressed through various milestones. Prior to losing my job, I wouldn’t have admitted that I may have lost track of all the extremities. That same feeling of perceived flow-state, may have resulted in redundancies across all of my arms. It’s not necessarily a problem. I had no need to re-evaluate the big picture. Despite being a self-admitted “big-picture-systems-thinker”, I hadn’t stopped to look inside myself for many years.
Now I have the time. The time to go through the memory archives and ponder about my previous decision points. Despite my most existential feelings, this isn’t a simulation. There is no instant replay, rewind or respawn. While I can’t go back and alter the past, I feel pretty comfortable with how I’ve gotten here. What’s really interesting to me is looking forward at what’s next. I can’t go back in time, but I have an opportunity to re-examine which pathways are open to me in the future. If I did have the capability of seeing forward in November 2019 and knowing, for certain, I would end up in my position today, would this have been my chosen path?
I feel like a skier at the top of a mountain, looking down at my desired checkpoint. Ultimately it’s up to me what path I want to take. Double black diamond? Blue square? Green circle? The unfortunate reality is that once you pick a line, the ability to change can come at a cost. It’s not easy to gain or lose momentum. Sometime’s it’s easier to convince yourself that the path you’re on, is the optimal. A significant portion of my decisions, philosophies and outlooks were centred around my employer and role within. I now have the opportunity to take a pause and remap my desired line.
Over breakfast I’d like to have a discussion around your personal Yearning Octopus. Consider your previous decisions, current position and projected trajectory. Some guiding questions:
- Can you recall some significant decision point moments which have lead you to the present moment?
- Are those moments planned or unplanned?
- Looking at your past, does your pathway have recurring themes and priorities?
- Have you come to terms with some inevitable compromises that you’ve had to make?
- Did you ever come to the realization that your outcomes or pathways were pre-determined without your knowing/intention?
- How intentional are you with your Yearning Octopus?
Early Birds > Late Worms 