Project Management Rebooted™ | Freedom Beyond Safety

The seat-back information cards on my flight from Seattle to Anchorage a few weeks ago were juxtaposed just so. The words practically jumped off the cards and onto my lap, eager to deliver a message of direction and hope to my project management career and my new business I was starting.

"FREEDOM BEYOND SAFETY"

Weird. How could the airplane safety information and beverage/meal offering cards be so vocal and loud?

Stupid cards. WTF? I thought to myself.

I had just settled into my seat, lost in deep thought about a consulting opportunity my firm had just talked to me about. I was debating with myself on the pros, the cons, what it would mean to me, my project management career, and the lovely open space I had just created by declaring "I want to take 3 months off" after I rolled off contract at the end of February.

Why not "Freedom beyond Wi-fi and Movies"? Or, "Freedom beyond Food & Drink"? You can see the possibilities in the picture.

But no. It was definitely, strongly, undoubtedly "FREEDOM BEYOND SAFETY".

I had just returned from the Thailand trip, and now was on my way to go visit my son and friends in Kodiak. I still had at least 7 weeks of space left. At least.

This consulting opportunity checked all my boxes: Part time for 4 months, work from home, travel once per month to Helena (ok - that was not one of my boxes), the project was in a space I had just come out of - so I could do it without a lot of ramp up and research.

And something was just not right when I tried to imagine myself taking this on.

As I drilled down deeper into what was bothering me, it was that open space thing, and that I wouldn't be honoring it if I took this role at this point in time.

I had been determined to give myself at least 3 months to unwind and detox from the previous consulting experience. It wasn't that the experience wasn't good, because it was great. It was that I wanted to intentionally carve out time to just "be" and to be able to create this business. I couldn't do that very well when I was a full time consultant.

So there was that message, blaring at me: "FREEDOM BEYOND SAFETY".

SAFETY (really, fear undercover) saying, "Take this! You know you won't get another opportunity like this. You aren't bringing in any income right now, and you may have to resort to standing on the 145th exit on I-5 with one of the cats, and a sign saying "Will work for food and treats."

Our imaginations can be so, well, preposterous. And we listen, all ears and mind tuned in, with little to no discernment whatsoever.

And the FREEDOM? Well, duh. The FREEDOM was saying "Stay with me. I am your intention. You allowed this to be. Keep the space open. You are safe. Good things are coming." The space to get my business on and do what I'm here to do.

At What Expense?

We all know the part-time thing would not be part-time. I'd be doing my normal all-in approach where I think about the work to be done 24/7, full throttle. And at what expense?

Nope. Not.worth.it.

This may not seem like much of life decision, but to me, it was another moment to listen, pray, discuss with some friends, and act accordingly. Sometimes that's easy. Sometimes that's hard.

The liberation and lightness that has resulted from having chosen FREEDOM BEYOND SAFETY, being in alignment with what I knew I needed to do - that's the stuff journey milestones are made of.