In some previous posts of mine, and on episodes of Volta (one of the podcast's I have done), I have talked about changing course when needed. In order to do that you have to be will to evaluate, and re-evaluate, the things you do and the processes you use. I am putting myself through the process right now.
The biggest things I am re-evaluating now are my what's and why's. Recently I have realized that I have had my head down barreling along for a while. I have also realized that I don't entirely know how I got here over the last few months. Now, I will say that some personal issues have lead me to do this. I am fine but some weight has been added to my thoughts. All of the personal and professional stress has lead me to just bury myself in work and moving forward.
In just moving forward, achievements have been made/met. A lot of them actually. It would be very easy for me to look up, look around, and say things are good. Years ago, maybe even just 4 years ago when I first moved to Cincinnati, I would have done that. Then I would have put my head back down and gone right back to doing the same things. As I have gotten older, I have also gotten wiser (believe it or not haha). Part of me getting wiser has been have people around me that challenge me AND I actually listen.
Side note - When people challenge you, it can come from a place of wanting to see you grow. I spent A LOT of my life being stubborn to what I believed to be best. Maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't. If you have people challenging you, listen. You don't have to do anything with it, but it might help you get to where you want to faster.
With me also getting wiser, it has made me realize that there may be better ways to get to where you want to go. Putting your head down and just going to work is needed. Doing just that is WAY better than doing nothing because doing nothing will take you nowhere. That being said, sometimes you gotta take stock of where you are in relation to where you were, and the path you left behind you.
So what does my path look like to where I am right now. I'm not really quiet sure. I don't think it is bad, but I also don't think it is good. I'm not unhappy, but I'm not happy. I'm not unfulfilled, but I am not satisfied either. I am just thinking, and I like to put my thoughts here. Maybe it will create conversation, maybe it won't. Maybe this is just an online journal for me that a few people might check out. If you reading this, I would encourage you to take stock of what you are doing and why you are doing it.
I am doing this now because people always remember the endings. The end of the indoor season, the end of marching band, the end of the school year, end of a project, end of a concert cycle, etc. When I plan for the next year, I always think about the end and how I want to build on that. The end is almost always good...getting to the end hasn't always been. That being said, I have never had an experience that was just up and to the right the entire time. Anything that takes work, will have ups and downs. Everything ebbs and flows, and it should. Bad moments don't mean you had a bad experiences, just like good moments don't make a good experience. The product AND the process make the experience fall to one direction or another.
Thank you for listening to my rambling. As we approach our endings (whatever it is for you), I would encourage you to take stock of what and why you do what you do as you plan for what you want to do.
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