Leapping

[BIG AL]

How do you make those life changing decisions.How do you step out into the unknow.Having a good job,comfortable,And safe.Not being happy and knowing it is below your potential.Have an opurtunity handed to you that could or could not work.Everything rides on this decision.Your house your truck your childsupport it all does.Do you stay were does the courage to do that come from.And if you dont do you sit in your older yrs and wonder what if?Has anyone to a chance that everything rode on and won?Or did you do it and lose?Do you step out trust god and understand that etheir way god will take care of you?Or am I trying to gain the world only to lose my soul so to speak.I have a chance to transfer at work with promotion.I am scrared to move becouse I am secure were I am at.I am so tired of my job.And people dont leave the jobs at my plant unless they die becouse they are good jobs.So I have to wait till someone croaks or moves on wich could be for yrs.But unless I transfer to Houston Texas.Posiibly be runnin gplant in fews yrs I am told.Drawaback is the plant I can transfer to has the worst record of all ours.Always accidents,injuries,and embarressments.Plus they dont like guys from our facility becouse we are used a an example of what to do right.I wonder will they accept me work for me?Or will they see me as a reform operator trying to come in and take over.WHAT IF WHAT MIF WHAT IF?

[4given]

a few little prayers from our B.B. PRAY PRAY PRAY!! and I`ll be praying for you my Brother !!! your Sister in Sobriety Cess


Big Book pg 69

In meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if we want it.

Pg 70
We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing.

Pg 86
We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
Pg 87
we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.

We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems

[skyhook]

"Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion..."

Pray about it. Seek your wifes opinion. Seek the counsel of a trusted confidant. Make a list of the risks...make a list of the rewards, weigh the two. Write it down. Include the risks and rewards for your family. What will the impact be on them? Are the schools better ? What are the neighborhoods like where you will live ? Will the added salary be eaten by a higher cost of living. Will your personal support structure be the same in a new town ? Will it matter ? Can you visit the relocation site, walk it and meet with key personnel to talk about responsibilities and expectations ? Can you speak to the person you will be replacing ?...good insight there. So many, out of work, rejoice in having this option, whether you take it or not. After all that, pray some more and listen to your heart. Breathe.

Sometimes us guys get too caught up in our job identity, its understandable...but we really are more than our jobs. Remembering that helps to take some of the anxiety out of tough decisions.

Good luck Al,,,you'll get it right ! Just get your machette out and knock down some of the forrest so you can see the trees.

[sioux]

Hi Big Al...wife's opinion here.

Financial security is one of a woman's top five needs. This woman's anyway.

And conversation supersedes that one.

I watched my husband start in a career that we thought "this is it!" 12 years later he had resigned to a life of misery; we were not talking anymore. He felt I devalued his dedication and ability to earn. I felt bad, like a refrigerator on his back. We looked at each other and said "so this is it?"

He was scared and believed that he was lucky to have this job. I felt he had lost his ambition to strive for something better. I showed him in black and white our financial picture. He felt I devalued his earning potential...his manliness. Gosh, the last thing I was trying to do. He had resigned, accepted. Not always a good thing. He did this for me after all, and the kids. I didn't want him to do it if it was killing him. He was never home and when he was we wished he wasn't. He resented us. We resented him. ugh...

Long story short...he got hurt. We sued and prevailed.

He went to another company (American by the way) and three years later earns more than he ever did in the 12 years at the other place. He has travelled, gotten the training he was always promised. They treat him very good. They like him, educate him, promote him, value his opinions and experiences. His work experience is better than having a bachelor's degree in engineering. He loves this job, he is happy and looks forward to work and coming home. I feel like I have a vital man back in my life; the kids like dad and are proud of him today.

While I don't think this is the time to abandon a job unless you have your sights on something that will materialize, there are people that are content to work your job to the day they die and be happy about it. There are other people that want variety in their lives or they die killing everyone around them.

Contemplation is the first step in making a life change, whether that's a career path or quitting smoking. Know your Creator wants you to be happy. I feel for men...I really do. They measure their worth by their ability to support their women and children, even in this day and age. They suppliment their happiness with success in accomplishing these things.

I told my husband at the end of those horrid 12 years that my success has been in standing by this man, but I wasn't going to do it much longer. I didn't care if we lived in a tent and all this crap went to someone else. I want to be happy; I wanted US to be happy. I don't want to look back over my life as something I endured with someone that I had to put up with.

Stuff does not make me happy. Whatever we lose for the sake of living a G-dly life of happiness with each other will be returned to us in another form. All that money we got from the lawsuit paid off every bill we never had and put a few bucks in the bank. We live on a cash basis, and have before the economy went to hell. I ask myself many times before I make a purchase....is this going to make me happy tomorrow? Next week? Usually, the answer is no.

We talk every day now. We like each other again. I am proud of him; he is proud of me. Marriage comes first for us. I am so glad we put our priorities in order. This entire experience has been a blessing, and yes, a very scary process.

[DaveH]

Big Al,
Folks have already shared great wisdom and experience. The only thing I might add that I have found to be true is that my HP always calls me to do the next right thing....even though it may uncomfortable. And in fact it usually is uncomfortable for me. My journey in sobriety has truly been one adventure after another so I can't help but wonder if God is inviting you to your next big adventure. That said, I will pray that your HP makes it clear to you as to what your next right thing should be. Be blessed and enjoy the ride.
Regards,
DaveH