Routines, Patterns, Habits

It's a new year (according to the Common Era Gregorian calendar) and I've completed my first week in a new position at work. I'm moving from working in a production area supporting the manufacturing areas with data analysis to the human resources department and I won't mince words: It was a challenging week. There's so many new processes and systems to learn that, even though I've been with the company for over seven years, in several ways it feels like I just stepped in off the street.

And? I survived it. Even better? I walked out the door on Friday with a smile and a satisfied feeling that I had accomplished everything I could reasonably expect of myself given my current proficiency level. Did I get it all "done"? Nope. Were my expectations of myself incredibly high? Yep. Do I think I made the right choice? Absolutely.

One of the key takeaways for me this week is so simple that, superficially, it hardly seems worth acknowledging: I can make this my own. Indeed, in the interest of the teams that I support, it would be best for everyone if I fulfill the responsibilities of the position in ways that make the most use of my own personal set of skills, talents, perspectives and abilities. That is a bigger thing, though, than it seems at first. I have struggled to do this in my personal life, sometimes taking large risks. In my professional life, however, I have almost always played it safe. For me, that meant trying to form myself into the molds I thought the company wanted me to conform to. That, my friends, is ridiculously uncomfortable for me, but I tried to do it anyway, thinking that it made me more of a team player, worth keeping around and not too much trouble.

My aversion to risk was a little too sensitive, though, and I missed out on opportunities I could have taken. Maybe "missed out on" is the wrong way of looking at it - I chose not to take those other avenues (or procrastinated so long that they ceased to be available to me) and I'm mostly pretty comfortable saying that there was Divine Intervention at work, keeping me on a learning journey when I really needed the extra time rather than pushing me too hard into stress levels that were unsustainable. I've been down those paths before, folks, and it's rarely pretty. Life-changing, but not very pretty. Like birth itself, it's a messy damn process, getting ripped to shreds then rebuilding.

So what is the point of the title of this post then? Well, that's the deeper core of my learning this week: One of the best ways for me to make this new position my own is to create new routines, identify new patterns, and develop new habits that will support me. The best part? I can apply this to both my work and home lives. In fact, I'll be thwarting myself and my desires for growth entirely if I DON'T take advantage of this chance to create some new ways of being for myself. Luckily, the Universe seems to be conspiring to help me with this (as she has a tendency to do, if one is paying attention) by sending me links to posts about organizing, and healthy make-ahead meals, never omitting the vitality I derive from creating by sending me messages of support just when I really need them, like this one from Kris Carr.

The inimitable Kris Carr has hit the nail right on the head, darling ones. And? "Grow" just happens to be my Word of the Year! Serendipity, you're a lovely lady.