August 19, 2015 - CareerGuy.com

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Aug 19

August 19, 2015, TGIW: Unhumping Hump Day…and Vicissitude

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

“Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery — there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” –Rick Warren

In college, I had a housemate from another culture, country and religious upbringing.

He described how his faith was based on a philosophy of never getting too excited and never getting too down. Maintaining a steady and even keel was the ultimate goal.

In many ways, an ongoing peace of mind, unflappability and internal conviction that, no matter what, “this too shall pass” can be great strengths to develop within ourselves.

Yet, in the external experience, being willing to ride the waves of life, to accept (maybe even enjoy?) the massive dips as much as the huge elevations, gives us a ride we don’t get through steady-state safety.

It’s no wonder that a heart monitor screen or EKG printout is encouraging only when displaying regular highs and lows in-between the flat lines.

Face it: the ultimate low life is a no life.

Perhaps an Attitude of Vicissitude allows for a more enliving experience?

How can you throw some lively movement into your own mix of growth and aspirations today?

Got ups and downs?

“You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster…Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!…I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn’t like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.” –“Grandma” from Parenthood (1989)

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