All month we’ve talked about the importance of having a plan in the series, Make The Turn. Defining the “how” is essential to materialize your intentions.
Now let me give you some counter-intuitive advice: stop working so hard.
Sometimes we need to freewheel – take our foot off the gas and glide.
“I told him I wasn’t interested. His offer was ridiculous,” Lily told me.
“But what about your Dad’s guitar? I thought you wanted it back,” I said.
“I did, but I wasn’t going to let him hijack me. I know he’s got a business to run, but it was stolen. Give me a break!”
From the minute we sat down at breakfast, Lily was distraught. She spent the next half hour describing the loss of her most prized possession: a 1969 Gibson Sunburst guitar.
The Sunburst was a fixture in her family home. Impromptu jam sessions were common during family parties, with her uncles and cousins joining in. When her Dad passed, she kept his legacy alive every time she played his guitar.
The unthinkable happened at the Summer Street Fair. Her band had been invited to play an afternoon set, and the promoter assured her they could leave their instruments in the lock-up while they enjoyed the fair. Two hours later, everyone else picked up their gear. The Sunburst was missing.
The promoter canvassed music stores and pawn shops from Portland to Seattle. Six months later, a minor miracle happened. A local pawn broker had a high-end guitar in stock. A gold one. With black trim. The Sunburst!
And that’s when the pawn broker asked for $3,000. “$3,000?” I said. “But he knew the backstory from the flyer. How could he even ask you?”
“That’s what I said. I don’t have $3,000! What’s more, I shouldn’t have to pay to get back what’s rightfully mine. He was really a jerk about it, so I told him to take a hike,” Lily said, shaking her head.
Three months later, we were back at breakfast. Lily was beaming.
“Guess what I have? The Sunburst!”
“No way! How did that happen?”
“A young guy called and said he was looking after the family store while his Dad recuperated from a heart attack. He found the flyer and put 2 and 2 together. For a second, I thought he might gouge me, but he couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He gave it to me – can you believe that?! Within an hour, it was at my place. Where it’s going to stay!”
Lily could have frantically searched for the Sunburst herself or even sued the promoter. No one would have blamed her. In fact, those are pretty good plans. It’s just that they’re the old way of doing things.
Lily upended traditional thinking. She let people help her. Then she had the courage to turn down a deal that wasn’t right.
This week, make the plan. But if life has turned into one big pushback, freewheel while the Universe does its part.