You can listen to the audio or you can read the post.
I will keep unlocking the different segments of the blog until we get back to regular programming. It might seem like life has given me a beating (in Kiswahili, we would call it a kichapo), but in reality, I feel like it’s a liberating restoration of sorts. From relationships, to work, I think I had mentioned that in one of my past cryptic posts. So today I will delve into the work part of it.
One of my followers (@officialbonnetchronicles) gives it a nice description, where she says,
As you’re entering the season of YES, you have to go through the season of NOT. You have to say NO to things that kill your spirit and your individuality, all those negative vibes that come your way. This is so that you can make room for the things that will build you, hype your spirit and firm up your individuality.
I had started this career series last year that I am now trying to revive. I gave a brief background of what it was about in this blog post whose topic was, ‘are you finding what you’re looking for?’ I concluded the post with the question, ‘what’s your current situation like?’ I was seeking to find out if we know what it is that we really want when it comes to our careers, because it only makes sense when we give meaning to what we do. If we’re not able to give it some meaning, then we end up feeling discontented.
We have to start from somewhere. So a good place would be for me to update you on my current situation, because it has been LIT. I never thought I would ever be in a situation like the one I am in to be honest. However, this for me is a part of the process of building my career and adding on to my experience. Has someone ever asked you, “how’s work?” and you don’t know where to start, because where do you start for real and not sound like a whiny human? So you just go like “Heh! Ni tough!” (with a queer smirk to back it up, which will hopefully pass on the message).
There are places that you go to and fit right in, like you were the ideal piece and you connect to the people, to the culture, to the job and you live it and breathe it. Then, there are places you go and you just don’t fit in, it’s like trying to put two pieces that don’t connect together and this new piece sticks out like a sore thumb. I have now experienced both. Before, I couldn’t relate with someone talking about the latter, because I had only experienced the former.
Today, marks my official last day at my current employer and I made a decision to resign, not because I had another opportunity, but more so, because I needed to do it for myself and for my peace of mind. So I am treating it like a sabbatical of sorts as I search for another employer.
When I tendered in my resignation, everyone kept asking me, “where to?” and I’m like, “I legit do not know yet!” It was very ballsy (not sure this is a dictionary word) and a shocker to many people, including myself. And yes, it was short lived, I haven’t been there for a long period, which was also another scary reason. But what do you do when you get to that point? When I got to the point of making this very life-changing personal decision that would drag me into the den of unemployment, I asked myself these four critical questions:
- Would I rather be in a place where I don’t feel like my contribution is making a difference or would I rather be out here looking for a place where my contribution will make a difference?
- Would I rather be in a place where I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells or would I rather be in a place where I feel like I am being nurtured into a better human who is confident, creative, and a go-getter?
- Would I rather spend every waking day feeling unstable and insecure about my role and my job or would I rather spend every waking day thinking and acting on the elements that I can add to a brand, because it gives me a feeling of stability and cohesion?
- Would I rather spend my days feeling anxious and panicky about what I do and doing it from the pit of my stomach or would I rather spend my days feeling great about what I do and doing it from the bottom of my heart?
I beat myself up for a couple of months wondering why I was not able to make the situation I was going through any better. Every day I woke up with the resolve that maybe this stuff is in my head and I need to approach it differently. And every day, I came back home with this in mind, “I really tried today and I’m glad the day is done.” Up until I couldn’t anymore. Sometimes, I woke up and wondered where the night went, because I didn’t want morning to reach.
The strangest thing about this, is that you can’t even qualify these feelings you know. You can’t make someone else understand what you’re feeling or why the environment is making you feel that way. If they know, they know. If they don’t know, they just don’t.
That aside, I picked up a couple of good lessons too, which I will definitely apply in my future endeavors. I also had some really cool colleagues, whom I will miss. I hear people saying that we shouldn’t put emotions into work, but I generally am an emotional person.
I believe that’s how brands are nurtured into powerful brands. If you don’t buy into it, then you can’t sell it. Click To Tweet You have to live it and breathe it, which ideally means you believing in it for you to be able to appeal to the people that you want to onboard or to sell to. Click To TweetIf I don’t put some emotion into what I do, then I feel completely disconnected and not a part of it, which of course will affect how I deliver.
This leads me to my two questions,
- Have you ever resigned from your job when you had no offer waiting for you? What made you do it? How did you manage it?
- How do you deal with work? Are you emotionally attached to it or do you completely separate your emotions from your work?
You can either leave a comment or drop me an email on letschat@kawisnippets.com. I would love to hear from you. I know we’re all different and it’s that mix that makes the world a fun place to be. And also,
Did you know that shared experiences are also a form of therapy? Now you know!
Stay Inspired,
Kawi
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