Perspective

Life for the past few months has been all about work. It doesn't have to be this way, but it's a combination of it being a personal choice, being passionate about what I do and working with people who inspire me and are great fun to work with.

Things have really picked up at work. Yes working long hours is one thing, but of late, it's been meetings, conference calls one after another, new projects, with not a spare moment to take a deep breath and think anything through thoroughly. 


Amongst all this, I noticed that up till a few weeks ago, I had been approaching work in a way too personal way. I mean that when things don't go perfectly, it really affects me and I take it all to heart even though these are business related things. There were two weeks of consistent sleepless nights because my head kept turning, and neither did I try to stop it. I'd crash on the weekends. One day recently, I was in the office up till 10pm dealing with a few things. I called a dear friend (who might as well be my life coach) right after and broke down. The gist was that I was simply overwhelmed with emotion. One of my main roles includes supporting clients and sales folks in the company. So I tend to hear all the great stuff but also hear the other end of the stick. At that point it feel like the weight of a thousand rocks on my shoulders.

I explained this to her, and yes she sympathised with me, but more importantly, she gave me a reality check. Why was I taking everything to heart? At the end of the day, this is work. Such a simple statement, yet, it really hit me. I thought, "Yes she's right, I'm being utterly ridiculous about this". I won't stop caring, and will always be solution orientated, but I needed to change certain things about the way I approached it.

It's all about perspective isn't it, and sometimes we need to hear this from others to bring us back down to earth. I've made some changes since, and it's been all for the better.

A few weekends ago I was sitting down with a friend reflecting on life. We narrowed down to a specific topic. She was telling me about how four years ago. she had all these worries in life which affected her mentally and physically. Soon after, she received some personal news, one that was earth-shattering. Reflecting back on it now, she sees how her earlier worries were insignificant to the news she received soon after and in the bigger picture of things, she might have seen and dealt with her earlier worries differently. 


I've always had this tiny fear in the back of my mind, that someday, something earth shattering will happen to me, one so significant that nothing else will matter. I will go completely numb and physical and emotional pain will have no impact on me. Once the numbness subsides, I would look back on life, and question certain choices.


At the end of the day, these earth shattering moments are unpredictable, and there's no point harping on the whats ifs and what might happen. It's all about living in the present, making the best of it, and living life with no regrets.

For safekeeping

I wrote this excerpt 3 years ago on Facebook that I want to safe keep on this blog. By the way FB's time line? Yes I love the various designs, but I'm not really feeling it. I like clean simple interfaces, not a clutter of boxes all over my profile.

Slight deviation, but back to this excerpt:

Friends vs. acquaintances
Passion vs. mediocrity
Chemistry vs. commonality
Tenacity vs. irresolution
Consistency vs. irregularity

Always the former, and never the latter


No, there was no plagiarising involved here. I can't remember what spurred the above, but I must have been very inspired that day.

So yes, this is a reminder of how I want to live each day at a time.

On the note of consistency...

September marks the last month of working directly with my former boss, Nico. We will still be working together, though on a less frequent basis. He has been a great mentor over the past year, and I've learnt a lot from him. The one thing I've observed and admire him tremendously for is his consistency with how he perceives himself, and how he communicates the values he stands for to the entire team. All this while providing me with the freedom and independence to develop in my own way. Sounds elementary, but I think it's easier said than done. I've observed quite a few folks in upper management who say one thing, but then it becomes questionable when you see quite the opposite unravel in their day to day interactions. Although we've both moved on to new roles within the company, I know I can always call him out of the blue if I need some advise. This is so important in any company you work with, that you have someone you can trust, be honest with, and know that they'll have your back. Mutual trust and respect. Thank you.