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The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. What Defined Your Turning Points? What have been your turning points? Those points when a significant change occurred which altered the course of events in your life. There have been historical events which changed all our lives. For the better, such as the toppling of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. For the worse, the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. And, the event which occurred at different times for all of us (starting in the 1990s), changing our lives in so many ways: the day we first accessed the World Wide Web. But I’m more interested in your personal turning points. Was it happenstance or a conscious decision? Was it a crisis or an opportunity? Did you have an idea that changed your world? Did you create something which lead to a new business? I know people who have suffered body trauma which altered their abilities for life; and others who have been dramatically healed. There are any number of situations which may have been a crossroads for you. I count several turning points in my life which include physical, emotional, and philosophical changes. Events which definitely became a “before this/after this” juncture. Moving into a new house in a new neighborhood when I was 12 is the first significant one I recall. It gave me the opportunity to start over in a new school where I didn’t have a difficult-to-overcome notoriety as a wimp. I was very aware of the differences between “Before the Move” and “After the Move,” and over the years I’ve pondered how my life might be different if this change never occurred. Then there were the various mileposts of life such as my 16th birthday and getting my driver’s license, then the enormous freedom I enjoyed when I got my first apartment at age 19. I have had a number of emotional turning points. I recall feeling like a prisoner in high school, and needing change. I de- cided to run for the office of student council president. I was so desperate for some variation in my life, I decided if I didn’t win the election, I would ask my parents to let me move in with my aunt so I could finish my senior year in another city. Fortunately I won the election, because my parents (or my aunt for that matter) would never have allowed me to move. As it turned out, I experienced the most amazing year where I learned many new things and enjoyed a huge boost in my self-confidence and sense of self-worth. Losing my father to a stroke in my sophomore year of college was a huge loss emotionally. As a writer, my biggest turning point came when I bought my first computer at age 28. Having the word processing power of a computer increased my writing productivity immensely. When I worked on a typewriter, I never finished a project. I had stacks and stacks of manuscripts with corrections written in the margins, collecting dust, waiting to be retyped. After I acquired a computer, with the power to edit, move paragraphs, and spell-check, I completed short stories, novels, and more. Buying that first computer even enabled me to go into business for myself. One of my most difficult turning points was my divorce after 22 years of marriage. I lost my primary confidant; I became a single parent; I was dating again; I had time alone; and I was so depressed I was challenged by everything. Seeking help, I saw a few different therapists, but I didn’t feel any of them were helping me. The real turning point of my divorce came a few years later, after a particularly painful ending to a relationship. I recognized I had a pattern of pursuing poisonous relationships. I realized I had a problem for which I was determined to find an answer. I read and researched diligently until I finally had a eu- reka moment and identified the problem enough I was able to find a therapist who could help me. Just knowing what the problem was became a clear demarcation point of before/after for me. While there is no specific date at which it began to work, I learned in therapy how to change my life for the better. What are some of your turning points? The good and the bad; the inten- tional and the random. How did they change your life; what did you learn; and what meaning have you taken f rom them? Robert Robert is an author, humorist, and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more com- petitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert, visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com or contact him via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 8 MAY 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®