Wednesday, March 09, 2005
An interesting personal insight today...
In my previous work life, I didn't want to talk to others about work. I didn't care to discuss, particularly when I met someone new, what it is that they did for work. I actually made a game of it to find everything possible to talk about with a perfect stranger except what their occupation was. I found the entire "What do you do?" conversation frustrating, if not a total bore. Though there is some merit in the game, my reasons to concoct it were somewhat unfortunate.
Now, I work at a place which is about work. I work on work. Haha. It's ironic.
The interesting thing about this mind shift is that my desire to ask people what they do for work has grown - significantly. When I meet someone I wonder, "What do they do?" and "What sort of work environment are they in the midst of?" It is funny to be in such a complete mind reversal.
The other aspect of this new insight to "Esther+work" is that I want to talk about work in general because I like the nature of labour relations. Before, I wanted to escape the discussion about work because I was unhappy about my work. In fact, isn't it true that when you ask another person about what it is that they do, then they ask you the same question? Before, that very question would get my mind rolling around about something that I would be happier to forget because my next day was bound to be frustrating and, over time it was becoming less and less a reflection of me. This job is a good fit. I feel genuinely excited about the subject matter, the flexibility of solving problems, and learning the art of hanging up the phone at just the right moment. Haha. To synopsize, I am happy to announce that I am mentally engaged with my work environment and look forward to the places it will take me.
Next up... workplace innovation...
In my previous work life, I didn't want to talk to others about work. I didn't care to discuss, particularly when I met someone new, what it is that they did for work. I actually made a game of it to find everything possible to talk about with a perfect stranger except what their occupation was. I found the entire "What do you do?" conversation frustrating, if not a total bore. Though there is some merit in the game, my reasons to concoct it were somewhat unfortunate.
Now, I work at a place which is about work. I work on work. Haha. It's ironic.
The interesting thing about this mind shift is that my desire to ask people what they do for work has grown - significantly. When I meet someone I wonder, "What do they do?" and "What sort of work environment are they in the midst of?" It is funny to be in such a complete mind reversal.
The other aspect of this new insight to "Esther+work" is that I want to talk about work in general because I like the nature of labour relations. Before, I wanted to escape the discussion about work because I was unhappy about my work. In fact, isn't it true that when you ask another person about what it is that they do, then they ask you the same question? Before, that very question would get my mind rolling around about something that I would be happier to forget because my next day was bound to be frustrating and, over time it was becoming less and less a reflection of me. This job is a good fit. I feel genuinely excited about the subject matter, the flexibility of solving problems, and learning the art of hanging up the phone at just the right moment. Haha. To synopsize, I am happy to announce that I am mentally engaged with my work environment and look forward to the places it will take me.
Next up... workplace innovation...
