I have an embarrassing story to share that best depicts this point. I travel a lot to Sacramento for my day job, and that drive from my home can be brutal. So I decided to start riding the train-the extreme passenger experience. I would park my car at the station, hop on the train, and arrive in Sacramento in 60 minutes. Well, one day my car was in the shop, so I had to arrange for my husband to drop me off at the station in the morning, and for my co-worker to pick me up at the Suisun station in the afternoon. Everything went well on my journey to Sacramento. On my way back home, I sent a text to my coworker regarding my arrival to the Suisun station, and she responded, "I'm already here waiting for you in the parking lot." I smiled, excited and a bit cocky about how I pulled off a flawless travel arrangement.
We pulled into the Suisun station, and I headed down to the lower level of the cart to off board the train. But to my surprise the train doors did not open. I frantically went upstairs, and then downstairs to the next cart, but those doors didn't open either. I picked up the phone to contact the conductor, but the phone was dead. The next thing I heard over the load speakers was "the doors are now closing." I was in a panic! The train began to pull away from the station, and the next stop was about 20 -30 miles from the Suisun station. In that moment, I had to decide: am I going to be a passenger or am I going to take control of the situation and get off this train? I chose the latter, pulled the emergency brake, bringing the entire train to a screeching halt. The doors opened, and I (along with another passenger) off-boarded the train. The assistant conductor was furious, waving her hands over her head while she berated the passenger who off-boarded with me. I calmly walked over and interrupted their conversation stating: "You said over the loud speakers that the doors are opening on carts 2 and 4. That did not happen, so I pulled the break and got off the train. Thank you." I was shaking but felt at the same time vindicated! I wasn't about to go along for the ride, possibly to somewhere I didn't know. I was taking control, and getting off that train. I had places to go, and people to see. Likewise, when it pertains to life, there are times in which we cannot be idle passengers along for the ride. We should not accept things that shut us down or barricade us from reaching our goals and dreams. Sometimes, we need to pull the emergency brake, stopping the unfruitful and unproductive behaviors that keep us bound to failure and despair. It is time to remember those dreams and promises that you've spoken concerning your life. Hold yourself accountable to them and get off the train. And who knows, someone else maybe waiting in the wings for you take that courageous step, so they can get off that train too! Thoughts???
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AuthorAkon M. Walker, MPA, motivates readers to transform words of inspiration into life application. Archives
June 2019
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