Lately, I’ve been off balance. I’ve been struggling in my day job, trying to figure out if I should stay or leave. Deciding what to do isn’t always easy when you feel (like I do) that your values aren’t aligned with those of your colleagues. The question is, do I stay and work to effect positive change or do I throw in the towel? I remind myself that I have three options: accept it, change it, or remove myself from it. And as I contemplate the best course of action, I will keep the faith.
A Matter of Perspective
Working through the pains associated with my day job, the main side effect has been a lack of focus. And when you’re lost so much in you’re head, it’s hard to concentrate. I sit down to write, but I’m thinking about the dishes I left in the sink. As a result, I’m angry with myself for the lack of progress I’m making, letting doubt and negative self-talk beat me down.
Look around you. Everything changes. Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving….You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant. – Steve Maraboli1
In the midst of a challenging situation, it’s not easy to take perspective. Because you’re lost in your own thoughts and feelings. And you focus on if you were wronged, how you were wronged, and how you plan to vindicate yourself. For me, I need to cool down before I am able to even begin to see another point of view. And that makes it difficult to keep the faith, to know that I will come through the situation and be stronger and better off than I was before I let it consume me.
Keep the Faith
As one of a handful of quinquagenarians in the workplace, I realize that there are generational differences at play. From how we communicate to how we show up to work, my challenge, then, is to figure out how to navigate them. That will be key to my success in the days and weeks to come. And again, that means looking at my three options: accept it, change it, or remove myself from it.
And as much as I want an answer to come, I realize, too, that it’s okay to slow down and take time to reflect. When everything is emotionally charged, it’s never the right time to make a decision. It could cost us more down the road. So, the best thing for me to do is to take it day by day and keep the faith.
And I want to tell you today, in case no one else has, that you are loved, you are worth, and you matter. And you don’t need anyone’s permission to be—wholly and unapologetically—who you are.
- Jackson, C. (2020). Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, HarperCollins, New York, p. 123. [↩]
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