Generations have enjoyed Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. For many, it’s a reading or theatrical must-do during the holiday season. I remember seeing Kelsey Grammer’s performance as Scrooge at Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater many, many moons ago. How struck I was with the ease to loathe him – at least through most of the story. And yet, I believe you should be Scrooge-like in your job search, your career management – your life, come to think of it.
The real Scrooge effect
Forget that Ebenezer Scrooge is, as we meet him, the original Grinch. He hates the Christmas holiday season and all it stands for, including the extra expressions of humanity in conversations, the tone that brings out the giving back and good will. As he’s visited by the three spirits, we begin to understand him. We even are touched with a bit of sympathy for the old man as he mourns the innocence of his past, feels stuck in a discontented present, and has no hope for a happy future.
Isn’t this really a story about personal introspection and transformation? Don’t we all have a story? Don’t we all have baggage – the ghost of Jacob Marley wrapped in chains that weigh us down if we let them? Don’t we all have success stories to share? Positive traits that when put together with our stories, create our own unique value?
Scrooge was not always bitter, preoccupied and rigid with his coin-counting and self-ostracizing routine and behavior. He had been young, filled with idealism for the future. What happened? Life happened.
The power of honest assessment
Ebenezer Scrooge was lucky. Three spirits gave him the unique opportunity to gaze at his past (where he came from), his present (where he was currently) and his potential future (where he was headed given no change). The result? Scrooge made changes. It wasn’t comfortable. He had to look hard and honestly about his choices, his relationships and his path.
The power of agility
How can you move forward in a career or life without change? None of us can. You can keep doing the same things with the same results. Or you can plan and most importantly, brace for the unanticipated. How? By adopting an observant, alert and swift responsiveness to the need to change. There will always be something that bursts your bubble, roadblocks your plans and in some cases, spins your whole course around. And sometimes, it derails you for awhile. Again, observe, adjust and reboot. Because sometimes, this change puts you on a great track. There is power in being able to tweak how you think and what you do—to your situation, those people who enter your life, and the curve balls you’re thrown. If you expect all these things to adjust to you, your rigidity attracts disillusionment and frustration. There is power and freedom in expecting the unexpected.
Do one thing
Here’s an exercise. No otherworldly guide needed! Just envision yourself into the future and imagine what people are likely to say about you after you’re gone. Think of what your epitaph would be. Go a step further and contemplate your written eulogy as a mission statement for what you want to accomplish, what kind of person you strive to be, and how you want to be remembered.
I know it’s more dramatic and colorful to think of Ebenezer Scrooge as he scowls, “Bah, humbug.” That’s not how Charles Dickens left him. Nope; he shouts, “Merry Christmas”!
Photo: popofatticus
