Have you ever planned on something really exciting, only to be disappointed in the end? Or maybe you had a vision of what you expected your life to be like, and then it turned out looking totally different? We all experience things that don't go our way or don't unfold as planned. This happens to everyone. And that can be disappointing. But what if, instead of judging these situations by labeling them as "failed," we use a different perspective and think of them as possibly even a "success"? You may have heard the saying, "In every cloud there is a silver lining." We would like to propose the possibility of: "In every cloud there is a pot of gold."

Almost two years ago, we completely re-evaluated our lives and our vision for the future. We decided to make a bold move, and leave our native and beloved Minnesota and head west to Northern California. This was a perfect match for us as there are so many things we love about that region of the country—the weather, the mountains, the ocean and coastline, Redwoods, wine country,

national parks, great cities…and the list goes on. We talked in depth on a regular basis about what we envisioned our lives to be like in our new surroundings and what we wanted from it all. We were exceptionally clear on our new plan and very excited to get going!

We put our townhouse on the market, pared down our "stuff" even more, and continued to remove what little clutter remained in our lives. We made a trip out west to check out options for housing and narrowed it down to our favorite neighborhoods in the Sacramento area. Selling our last two homes was a breeze, so we were sure that this move would happen quickly for us. We tied-up loose ends, scheduled extra time with family and friends in preparation for our departure, and focused our mindset on our move. We were all set!

Then we waited for our home to sell, and we waited some more. And for a year-and-a-half, we remained optimistic, telling people, "We'll be moving before you know it!" or "The real estate market is tough but will definitely be improving soon," or our favorite: "All it takes is the right buyer to come along, and we know they're already on their way!" Since at our core, we felt we were called to California and the decision felt so natural and right, we remained firm with our plan and never wavered.

Well, here we are. Still in Minnesota. Never in a million years would we have considered the possibility that we weren't actually going to move! When the two of us decide to do something, it happens. We make it happen. We are very purposeful and deliberate about everything we do and don't jump into things lightly. But yet here we sit, a year-and-a-half later. Why did we make such a big and bold decision in our lives, only to find that it may not have been meant to be?

After making the difficult decision to cancel our plans and take our house off the market, we were surprised to experience a bit of relief along with the initial disappointment. While the decision to pull back on our plans was tough (we had invested so much of our energy into the idea of moving), we instantly felt relief; relief from the challenges of living in limbo and confusion for a year-and-a-half. We were now free to move forward with our lives once again! It almost felt as if the magic moment we were waiting for had arrived, only it was completely different than what we had envisioned it to be. Instead of celebrating the sale of our house, we celebrated our decision to remain in Minnesota! Interesting. Who would have thought it would end up this way? Certainly not us.

"I'm so sorry you couldn't sell your house" and "What a bummer that you couldn't realize your dream" were just a few of the common responses we received upon sharing our change in plans. These responses totally made sense to us, because on the outside, it basically looked like our dream didn't work out. And as a society, we are used to being disappointed when something doesn't go our way! But when we dug deep, we realized that for us, there was another way to view our situation.

As we began to perceive the entire experience as a "success," the most amazing thing started to happen. We looked back at the previous 18 months and noticed all the wonderful things that we experienced in our lives. Many of these things wouldn't have happened without us living in the context of a pending move. The preparation for our move, and the mindset that followed, left us free to experience life in a whole new light. For example:

•	We experienced tremendous personal growth, all in preparation for our symbolic "moving forward with life"
•	We spent our precious time with the people who gave us energy; ultimately cultivating deep new friendships that
	we are now thrilled to enjoy and nurture
•	We treated our city of Minneapolis as tourists with limited time, and found the most incredible experiences, right
	under our noses; we love the Twin Cities!

And the list goes on. There are things we planned on in California, and we made a vow to now bring those things into our lives here in Minnesota (new perspectives, fresh starts, a more focused path). And there are things we were definitely going to miss leaving behind, but now we have the opportunity to cherish those things even more (special friendships, local attractions, native traditions). Who knows, maybe we'll still make that move to California? At least for now, our pot of gold is right here.

However this all shakes out, it's important to remember that there is a bigger-picture plan for each of us. In reflecting on John Lennon's quote, it is indeed important to make plans in life for what you want. At the same time, though, we must have faith that life will unfold exactly as it is meant to. If we remain open to the flow and mystery of life, we might also open ourselves up to an outcome we never thought possible. It's all a matter of perspective…and trust.

Michelle & Bill Stimpson can be reached through their website at www.lifeshinecoaching.com.

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