The Heist

My daughter and I love heist movies.

It’s so entertaining to watch a person or group of people do the impossible, to come up with a plan to break into a room that’s meant to be unbreakable, to beat the odds with ingenuity, careful calculation, and unrelenting optimism.

I suppose it’s this love of great heists that fuels me as a career counselor.

People come to me seeking a treasure that seems out of reach: purpose, peace, connection, a fat payout, all bundled up and tucked under a bulletproof case in a steel room with no door. We go over what they’ve tried — great ideas — but with so many failed attempts, they’ve gotten discouraged.

I don’t have a key — what good is a key when there is no door! I just have this thing with love where I never give up. I’m the stubborn safe-cracker, the wide-eyed lunatic, clutching blueprints, with a bevy of tools and the crazy idea that no room is completely locked, and no treasure is out of reach.

Calling All Angels

When making decisions, consider talking with angels. Call on someone you’ve lost. It may hurt a little at first but the end result is always positive. When we remember people who have passed (or even people who have moved far away), we long for them, and in that longing, we conjure up an image of their best self: the wisest, kindest, most confident and selfless version of them. Also in that longing is the unflappable knowledge that this person has our best interests at heart, that they can see us in our entirety and still want to help.

That’s the perfect person to ask for advice.