You Can’t Always Get What You Want!

Credit: Bill Gillespie

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need."

I love this song. I always have. I also love how Hollywood used it in the funeral scene of The Big Chill. It was a guaranteed laugh kicking off a great movie. It's also a great life lesson & anecdote for me.

A few years back I was looking for work. I was fortunate enough to have two suitors. I was confident of going back to work with only a small interruption.

Suitor #1 was a large commercial printer. They were actually larger than the company I had just left. They boasted full web, sheet offset, digital, fulfillment and an in-house direct response mailer.

They're definitely the real deal. They were located in my hometown too. I was convinced it was “Divine Intervention.” It was meant to be.

Suitor #2 was smaller. They were a solid enough company but there wasn't anything exciting about them. They did offset and digital. They were quite small compared to my former employer.

I was committed to working wherever it occurred but privately, I was most excited by suitor #1.

It didn't happen. Suitor #1 never came through with an offer. I wound up at suitor #2 a few weeks later.

"It's ok" I told myself. I'm underemployed but I can make this work. I only need to squeeze out two more years. If I can pull that off, I can retire in good shape.

Let me tell you something. I was wrong. I was not underemployed. I was perfectly employed. Suitor #2 was where I was meant to be. Suitor #1 would have been a mistake.

The opportunity looked modest but it wasn't. I had been hired by a dude that wanted to invent things. He wanted to create new services. He wanted to be first with emerging technologies. He wanted the competition to see his taillights only. This made every day exciting.

My goal of 2 years turned into 7.5. I was introduced to one new tool after another. I learned that the best place to start each day was in receiving. I could get a first look at whatever gadget was being delivered that day.

The assignment earned me international exposure. I made friends all over the world. I met leaders from every conceivable technology, machine or service. I was surrounded by the best.

These 7.5 years also reintroduced me to the best part of myself. I got reacquainted with my gifts. I grew. I got better and had the chance to rub off on those around me. We all won.

I share this because I've found myself in several career crossroads conversations lately. Change never stops.

My advice: Look around. Know what is available. You owe that to your life's journey.

But be fair to where you are too. Look at it closely. If things are frustrating it might be your chance to help. Perhaps you're being nudged to step forward and make a difference. You might be getting what you need.

Suitor #2 changed my life and made everything I'm doing today possible. I'm confident I changed their path too. It was, indeed, “Divine Intervention.”