Do you ever find yourself encountering similar “themes” in your lives? Like, how a certain event, person, situation, idea, activity and/or thought just keep presenting themselves over and over?
A “light” example may be: I don’t use Skype in my conversations. I just don’t know that many people in “real life” that are in to Skype. And yet, yesterday, Skype came up twice on two separate occasions, brought up by different people.
I know this must be happening a lot. But lately, I’m noticing it more and more.
One recurring “personal theme” I’ve been having lately is having to repeat the phrase: “You have to choose your battles.” Nothing earth-shattering, I know. But, it seems to resonate well with the people I talk to about it. I’ve been saying this in the context of learning to adjust and find one’s rhythm in the workplace.
You see, a lot of people seem to find it difficult to cope with stress at work. In fact, once upon a time, I was one of those people who go crazy at every little inconsitency, gossip, lack of organisation, problematic policies (or the lack of them) and/or talk about office politics. This type of attitude burned me out so quickly that by the time I reached 6 to 8 months in a job, I was almost always ready to quit no matter how passionate I was to begin with.
That’s why I’ve always thought that freelancing/self-employment is the only thing that will work for me.
Well, I’m about to reach my sixth month anniversary in my first employed position in 3 years (‘been freelancing for the last 3+ years). And, I’m pleased to say that I’m still as energised as I was when I first started. Sure, some of the gloss has already faded. And, I’ve already encountered plenty of the things that used to drive me up the wall so much. But, I have to say that I still love what I’m doing.
Sure, it’s not all perfect. But, I think it does help to focus on the positives and just work around the challenges bit by bit. I try not to let things get me down too easily. And, I do my best to find ways to make my work fun and interesting.
Yes, I’m learning to choose my battles — and, putting on an upbeat background music to do a little dance as I tackle each one. 
And yeah, I believe that battle-choosing works for other aspects of life too.
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how interesting…i’m starting a new job tomorrow as an employee of a large corporation. something i swore i would never do again…back in 1998 when i quit my last job as a sales mgr. for a company i loved, in an industry i was absolutely passionate about, selling products and services i deeply believed in. one day i just had enough. enough of what? the list is endless. pretty much the same things you mention above.
well, after almost eight years of being my own boss freelancing, contracting, or owning one business or another i found myself in the not so unusual position of needing a regular reliable paycheck. as my job search ensued, i found myself thinking back to my last “job” and pondering just what it was that drove me over the edge, and i had to laugh. because after all these years of having to take responsibility for everything, and having to learn, how can i say, to prioritize my battles, or maybe to not take anything personally (hard to do when you really care about what’s going on)… most of the things that seemed so important back then are pretty much meaningless now. things i chastise others for wasting their valuable time or emotional energy on. at the end of the day, the biggest thing that drove me over the edge was me. so, maybe it comes with maturity, or raising children, or just age and fatigue. i simply don’t have the energy to get upset anymore. besides, it’s my life, it’s my mind….i prefer happiness. and what a wonderful feeling when i realized that happiness is a choice. don’t get me wrong, i’m not perfect. i have bad days. but, i know what to do to make it better. i don’t know if i came to the great philosophical epiphany that fear drives all that other stuff or if i just decided that life is short and i’d rather be happy. it’s a far more productive state of being, and besides, it feels good.
i just linked over to read the details of your new job. maybe part time is the answer. i assume you are being employed by a clinic or a practice of some sort…
in any case, we shall soon see if my great experience and wisdom will serve me in good stead. or if i’m deluding myself and i’m just a control freak who has to be in the driver’s seat. six months will tell. haha.
as for common themes…it is my experience that many times when i find myself seeing the same thing/issue/problem in other people, it is a reflection of myself and the way i am looking. often times looking in the mirror clearly is the hardest thing to do. in other words, sometimes when i look around and it seems like “everyone is (blank)”, it’s me that is applying the same lens to what i see. not that this is exactly what you describe, but…often it is whatever current life lesson i am working on or struggling with at that point in my growth that i look around and notice where other people are in terms of that issue. but…in any case…
oh my god. i just realized i have to wear a suit tomorrow. dear lord, what was i thinking? and it’s almost 7pm. my but it’s getting late…
here’s to another six months of enrgised labour for both of us. nice artwork. keep it up. cheers.
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Wow, Bill, thanks for sharing (and for your kind words)! You definitely made a lot of interesting points and shared some good insights here. Good luck with the new job. I hope it all goes well. Do tell me how it works out for you!
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