Kind of an interesting week. Interesting as in nothing good happened nor did anything bad happen. In many ways, nothing happened. Not literally nothing, of course, and actually there were lots of good things (like plenty of time outside, reading, walking, and even grilling filets with friends on Saturday night because it was that warm…global warming is real), but I think I’m realizing that this general state of change, of flux, the state that I find myself in professionally right now, well, the pace of that change and flux is very slow…still…quite stopped in fact.
So what does that mean for this week’s post?
Excellent question.
One that I had a little trouble answering.
I mean, you see the pictures above and I woke up today to the coldest morning since March. Thus talking about the passage of time and the seasons changing and to everything turn turn turning would be an obvious path to take. But this is about transformation and talking about obvious change stuff somehow feels less-than-transformational.
So I asked myself what exactly I’m on the hook for talking about on these self-labeled “Transformation Tuesdays” and revisited my post from the first Tuesday, creatively titled The First Tuesday to see if I could give myself some insight. And it was kind of an eye-opener, and not a bad read if I do say so myself—feel free to have a look and be the judge.
So anyway I had the foresight then to give myself some wiggle room, and let’s be honest, if you’ve been around a while you know I take some liberties with the theme when it comes to what I post each week. I hope you also see some degree of logic and consistency too. Creative license, I think is what it’s called. 🤣🤣🤣
I’m going to take three bits of what I said on October 27, 2020 and use those as jumping-off points today:
“I have not been enjoying life’s downhills as much as I could, and I don’t notice and acknowledge small changes as much as I should.”
“Adaptability to circumstances is critical to happiness and success. Adaptability plus reflection is leadership.”
“But I also know everyone is adjusting and adapting constantly, in big and small ways. I think the biggest lesson from knowing that we’ve done it is that now we all know we can do it. Big change, you don’t scare me.”
On enjoying the downhills.
I’d be short-sighted if not totally remiss if I didn’t look at my sudden and unexpected unemployment as anything other than a downhill to be enjoyed. Look, I didn’t lay myself off and I can’t give myself a job, but what I can do is be in this moment that I am in and make the most of it. If I think about it even hastily there’s plenty of social and financial pressure, so I don’t need to dwell on those things and make it worse. I need to embrace the fact that—circumstances and reasons notwithstanding—I have this time available to me, time that I own in its entirety. It’s a kind of backwards way of looking at a shitty situation, but honestly I only can do what I can do so I think I’ll enjoy this downhill, appreciate the small wins, and not turn things into an emotional Mount Everest.
On adaptability and its outcomes.
Here’s the real bottom line on why you have to be adaptable: because you are constantly going to have to adapt…because you are constantly going to be asked or told to change. You may not be asked or told directly, but make no mistake, circumstances and events are going to always be signaling change…and if your response is to get mentally rigid in denial of and resistance to it, you’ll start to chip and crack around the edges and eventually you will break. So I think need to go a little Silly Putty here—I need to flex and stretch and and shape shift and reshape and roll myself into a ball and stretch out and do it over and over and over again until I end up somewhere where I fit and I’m happy. As “they” say: Will it be easy? No. But will it be worth it? Yes.
I have to be adaptable if for no other reason than I want to be happy…and to ultimately be successful, however I end up defining that. Success just may mean happiness. Nothing else. Full stop.
On not being scared by big change.
Big change is gonna come. It can be good or bad, and in most cases, it’s entirely outside of our control. I challenge you to name one good thing that being scared is going to result in?
Exactly.
There’s no good reason to be scared about change.
History is a great predictor here. We’ve done it. So we can do it. I’ve done it. So I can do it.
If for no other reason than I have to. So I will.
So there’s that.
When I went back to that post to see what I had committed to writing on “Transformation Tuesday” I wasn’t expecting to find inspiration in my own words and my own experience. But finding it was a pleasant surprise and is a great reminder that this is the nature of life—surprises (pleasant and otherwise, big and small, high and low impact) are everywhere, and sometimes we are our own best resource. (And sometimes we’re not, so it’s important to know the difference.)
And in looking back on some of my own thoughts and experiences regarding change, it’s clear that transformation comes in all shapes and sizes. It can happen organically or deliberately or not at all. It can surprise us, awaken us, energize us. Yes, it’s about movement…and it’s also about stillness and peace. Of reflection and making peace. Of recharging and reorienting. And it’s ok. All of it is perfectly ok.
The most important realization for me in all this is simple:
It’s not about forward movement. It’s about positive change.
I’m undergoing transformation as I write this. I’m transforming as I think and evaluate and decide. Different person, same place. Still, I’m changing. Growing. Learning. Living.
I was starting to spiral down a bit, a motion that felt decidedly anti-transformational. Writing this has given me the critical space I needed to reflect, rejigger, and regroup. It has me thinking about “how it will be if…” And the many possibilities that I’m able to conjure up and consider open up my heart and mind to the transformational power of the word “if,” and the hope it can give. Hope alone won’t get me to the finish line, but it’s enough to keep me in the race.
Also, I’m still looking for work (it’s only been two months for crying out loud, and these things take time!). So if you know anyone searching for someone with a (draft) professional summary that reads something like this, hit me up:
Accomplished senior global product leader with a track record of success. Work closely with end users and turn conversations into motivational and compelling stories that enable companies to develop offerings that improve customer outcomes. Skilled communicator who ensures consistency of strategy, tactics, and branding at all phases of the product lifecycle. Deliver value through strengthened customer relationships, new and/or improved products, sharper marketing messages, and relevant and engaging content. Dynamic and authentic leader who can be counted on to help achieve results by setting a clear vision, keeping focused, and having fun along the way.
Thanks.
Now, for some unsolicited professional advice: update your resume. Now. At a minimum, open up a note on your iPhone and jot down key quantifiable activity and supporting numbers. Because one day you might be laid off without notice, effective immediately, and have to build a resume when the only thing that seems to matter are quantified results and while you can describe the impact of your activity until the cows come home, you haven’t the faintest f-cking clue what the actual numbers are, so you may as well not have done anything.
For f-ck’s sake…
Anyhow, thanks a lot for being along for the ride here with me. I can keep trying to express how much it means, but I’ll never quite get it right. I can say with certainty that you being here with me makes a massive difference—your support and encouragement and friendship remind me of what I value most in the world, a reminder of something for me to keep in mind while I am out of work and feeling that pressure I mentioned earlier. I work to live. I do not live to work.
Thanks for sharing a slice of your lives with me.
Love you too.
And since I typed “these things take time,” I’ve had a bit of an earworm. Here you go, because you can never have enough of The Smiths (and have a great week):