Work has been very hectic for me over the last few weeks. Mostly for the wrong reasons. I work in an institution that I can only call sub-standard and therefore, the people I work with don’t seem too bothered about delivering quality work.
I don’t think anyone is dumb. On average, we’re all born with a certain level of brain capacity and I believe that if someone appears less bright, it’s most likely because they’re not putting in the effort to do more.
So, my problem here is becoming hyper focused and taking on much more than I should be doing. I can’t let things go. I can’t be okay with making mistakes and presenting mediocre work. I know perfectionism is not always a good thing. However, neither is sloppy work.
This presents a further problem for me. It’s like I have blinders on and I forget all my social skills. The little time remaining in the day is spent with my daughter, my mother or reading. I can’t bear to make nice with anyone.
One can’t live like this.
Everytime such circumstances arise, I promise myself I won’t get sucked into it. I promise myself that I won’t forsake the world and every other initiative I’ve started. I fail miserably.
In the end, I am losing out. Life is social, business is social, work is social. If you’re not networking, you eventually end up not progressing. It’s all about how much you can put out into the world. Who will hire me if they see that I haven’t posted a single enlightening post on LinkedIn? How can I call someone out of the blue, asking them for a referral?
When I started my own consulting practice, I had a whole pipeline of new business that quickly dried up because I wasn’t networking enough. You can’t have a consulting practice without actually reaching out to people. I got so consumed with a project on hand that I sidelined my marketing efforts only to realize that a few months later, I had no new leads. It was for lack of effort.
When I started working in an organization again, I vowed that I wouldn’t completely forget my contacts. I would keep in touch with people and more importantly, I would continue to develop my consulting skills so that I could possibly start out again at a more opportune time. I worked hard at it for the first few weeks and I even developed a clear roadmap of what I wanted to do. And just like every other time, I let it slip through my fingers. My determination dwindled and I did nothing to stop it.
The world moves even faster these days.
If you’re not present, you cease to be relevant. You become like a forgotten post on someone’s timeline.
Looking through a frosty window... 