You’ve seen those movies, right? The movies where a spacecraft is reentering the earth’s atmosphere with tremendous velocity, enveloped in a compressed ball of fire and at the complete mercy of the craft’s engineering and mother nature.
Whether you’ve thought about it or not, we humans are reentry specialists. That is to say that we re-enter situations, emotions and circumstances regularly. I’d like to examine the art of reentry as it pertains to all of the above. And I’ll begin by providing a personal case study.
When I decided to re-enter the promotional advertising industry, it wasn’t a decision that could be made overnight. I’d spent 20 years in an industry that provided me opportunities, friendships and lessons galore. To jump back in without a game plan would be tantamount to reentering the atmosphere on a moped. I’d spent 14 months not working in the industry after the near fatal stabbing of our teenaged son. But a realization of the power of community was the gravitational force that was attracting me back into the industry. I tried to escape its pull by launching out of its orbit, but the only thing I was really attempting to escape (unknowingly, at the time), was my very own unresolved trauma. I’ll get back to that in a moment. But first, please allow me to ask you a few questions:
Do you remember losing an awesome customer? Do you remember losing an amazing employee or a brilliant manager? Do you remember a time when your health was impeccable? And finally, what the heck do all of these questions have to do with re-entry?
That awesome customer you lost isn’t lost forever. The brilliant employee or inspiring manager hasn’t forgotten you. And your terrific health is within grasp. What prevents us from reclaiming what we’ve apparently lost is the lack of a proper reentry plan. At least 10 times in my life, I’ve become incredibly physically fit, only to abandon all of the work it took to reach a certain level and then see myself regress into “pre-fit Alex.”
You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I’ve met countless people that share the same story. For some of us, it’s a recurring theme that plays out across multiple facets of our lives. Think about it: Perhaps you worked hard to build $1 million in sales and were able to maintain that level for a couple of years. But then something happened and you regressed. Or, you put the effort into your relationship and it was a romance for the ages. But then that didn’t last either. If you think long enough, chances are that you’ll find a parallel in your own life.
Not wanting $1 million is sales is a valid reason for regression; not wanting a great relationship anymore is equally as permissible. But my guess and my experience tells me that you do want to reach higher and expand the bounds of your capabilities. Let’s explore how we can do that.
As previously mentioned, the key to a successful reentry into familiar or expanding territory is a plan. But, that plan is only as good as the energy you bring to it. In my case, when I left the industry, I began to realize that the calamitous circumstance that befell our family was an important part of being able to “see” the trauma I was carrying. What wasn’t so clear to me while living a seemingly successful and high-profile career was that I was carrying a ton of self-induced stress that was derived from a self-worth issue.
You see, my self-worth was being generated by what I construed as other people’s opinions of me. I didn’t love myself or appreciate my own work, my own dedication and my own heart. Very little of my worth was coming from inside. So I decided to do some work on myself. I decided to face these issues without being attached to “the story.” I know countless people that have invested countless hours with therapists in an attempt to understand why they feel the way they do. I applaud that, but it didn’t work for me. I could never put my finger on why I was the way I was. I still can’t!
So I simply decided to let go of the habit. Every day, I used the power of auto-suggestion to change the narrative and begin developing a healthy love of myself. Though I could easily regress and fall back into the self-worth trap in which I was stuck, I feel pretty confident that I won’t, because I went ahead and bought myself a lifetime membership to the mental gym—a facility that I own. And all the work I did over the past 14 months has prepared me for reentry.
You too can re-enter a situation, a circumstance or any emotional state you desire. But if you want to make a successful reentry, you’re going to have to do the work. Getting your $1 million in sales back is actually far easier than you may think. Getting the spark back into your relationship is far from impossible as well. Begin by really identifying what you truly want. Is it finances, health, relationship or all of the above? Start affirming what you want with the visualization of your ideal of the successful outcome. Hold on to that visualization and the accompanying feeling. Think about it several times throughout the day and plan to re-enter the space in which you were once fulfilled or the new space that you desire.
As you hold on to those feelings, you will begin to “see” the path to your objective. You’ll have to seize the vision and act on it with urgency and deliberateness. If you don’t act quickly and decisively, your old habits will kick in and they’ll be too strong to resist. But inspired action always trumps old habits. So use that inspired energy and move towards your goals.
A spacecraft’s reentry into the atmosphere requires mathematical precision, which is indeed your plan. It requires protection, which is your awareness. Become aware of your goals, your blockages, your fears, your strengths and your desire. Then map it out. What does your reentry look like? What will it feel like? What’s your inspired plan, backed by the visualization and auto-suggestion that will constitute the momentum that’ll put you right back where you belong.
Happy reentry!
Check out more blogs and content from Alex Morin at Promonoise (follow on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn). Or listen to Morin’s podcast, Almost Enlightened, here.
