on sunday someone asked me if i'd been writing much lately. he's a writer and i'm flattered that not only does he think i have talent in the area, but that he'd ask if i'd been exercising it.
the answer, sadly, is "not really." i mean, i am pretty much always writing. for work, for fun, for growth or catharsis or necessity. but it's been a while since i've just sat down with pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard and just written. not about a pretty dress or a cool new necklace. but just about life or feelings or memories.
when i have these realizations, i often turn to my old blog. the one that "started it all." more musings than not. very personal and revealing at times. i'd decided to keep this one a little less wordy and more universal than that one came to be. but i miss it. i miss the vulnerability of putting my thoughts out there, on screen. i miss the dialogue between friends and strangers-who-became-friends there.
so maybe i'll start doing a little more "old school" blogging here. go retro every now and then.
here's a little tidbit from the old blog that still rings very true for me. especially right now, in light of some big, exciting changes in store at work.
i am a manager. by nature and by trade. i'm not sure which came first, the (exposition of) the nature or the trade. as best as i can remember, it was the latter.
last year [2006], when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, i took over the primary duties of managing my grandparents needs - medication, caregiver schedules, household tasks, grocery shopping, etc. it is a perfect fit. the things i've learned about management, delegation, organization, and administration in the ten years i've been doing my job have proven to be invaluable in helping my family. and i've put many of the lessons learned from "number 10" (maunga & poppy's house) and headquarters to work at work, too.
letting go.
sometimes, i've learned, letting go is necessary. for sanity. for peace. for time. other times, though, letting go means something will need to be fixed and the person to do the fixing will be me. it's easier to do it thoroughly from the start than to fix what fell apart in the process. how to tell the difference - ahead of time - has been the hardest lesson (it's on-going, trust me) to learn. i'm learning how, i have not learned how.
i came across this today. it's a great explanation. reminder. it gives me peace.
Is Everything Okay?
Unless you work in a nuclear power plant, the answer is certainly no (and if you work there, I hope the answer is yes.)
No, everything is not okay. Not in a growing organization. Not if your company is making change happen, or dealing with customers. How could it be?
And yet, that's what so many managers focus on. How to make everything okay.
We spend so much time smoothing things out, we lose the opportunity for change, or for texture or creativity.
Instead of working so hard to make everything okay, perhaps it is more helpful to work hard at living with a world that rarely is.
the answer, sadly, is "not really." i mean, i am pretty much always writing. for work, for fun, for growth or catharsis or necessity. but it's been a while since i've just sat down with pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard and just written. not about a pretty dress or a cool new necklace. but just about life or feelings or memories.
when i have these realizations, i often turn to my old blog. the one that "started it all." more musings than not. very personal and revealing at times. i'd decided to keep this one a little less wordy and more universal than that one came to be. but i miss it. i miss the vulnerability of putting my thoughts out there, on screen. i miss the dialogue between friends and strangers-who-became-friends there.
so maybe i'll start doing a little more "old school" blogging here. go retro every now and then.
here's a little tidbit from the old blog that still rings very true for me. especially right now, in light of some big, exciting changes in store at work.
i am a manager. by nature and by trade. i'm not sure which came first, the (exposition of) the nature or the trade. as best as i can remember, it was the latter.
last year [2006], when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, i took over the primary duties of managing my grandparents needs - medication, caregiver schedules, household tasks, grocery shopping, etc. it is a perfect fit. the things i've learned about management, delegation, organization, and administration in the ten years i've been doing my job have proven to be invaluable in helping my family. and i've put many of the lessons learned from "number 10" (maunga & poppy's house) and headquarters to work at work, too.
letting go.
sometimes, i've learned, letting go is necessary. for sanity. for peace. for time. other times, though, letting go means something will need to be fixed and the person to do the fixing will be me. it's easier to do it thoroughly from the start than to fix what fell apart in the process. how to tell the difference - ahead of time - has been the hardest lesson (it's on-going, trust me) to learn. i'm learning how, i have not learned how.
i came across this today. it's a great explanation. reminder. it gives me peace.
Is Everything Okay?
Unless you work in a nuclear power plant, the answer is certainly no (and if you work there, I hope the answer is yes.)
No, everything is not okay. Not in a growing organization. Not if your company is making change happen, or dealing with customers. How could it be?
And yet, that's what so many managers focus on. How to make everything okay.
We spend so much time smoothing things out, we lose the opportunity for change, or for texture or creativity.
Instead of working so hard to make everything okay, perhaps it is more helpful to work hard at living with a world that rarely is.
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