You Are Here

JOE FERGUSON, PhD PhD Clinical Psychology, Fielding University MBA, Wharton School of Business

You could drop everything right now and go to Brazil to make your living in the fish markets of Rio and learn to play the bongo drums. You wouldn’t have to tell anyone you were leaving or have anything to do with your current life ever again. You can just begin to imagine the range of experiences that you might have over the rest of your life if you did such a thing. It is not likely that you will choose to do this, but you could. I sometimes encourage my clients to consider such possibilities when they are depressed and hopeless. Pain and distress can be productive of change and it is a good idea to examine the broadest possible range of alternatives before committing to a new path. Crisis is opportunity, but be smart about it and remember that you don’t have to have a crisis in order to seize the day.

A light cone represents the range of positions in space that a photon can reach in a given time, starting from an arbitrary origin. Physicists call this a world line, and your life is like that. It sometimes feels like you have no options, but you always do. You could drop everything right now to earn your living in the fish markets of Rio and learn to play the bongo drums. If you are stuck, that is a choice you are making and you can choose otherwise. If you are in distress, then this realization should make you feel better immediately. Trust me. Call me.