Managing Shifts in Life

What is that they always say? “Change is inevitable”, so we’re encouraged to always embrace it. Anyone who knows the nature of Taureans knows that we’re not only categorized as stubborn creatures, but often described as being resistant to change. I don’t like that we’re viewed that way but can admit that there is some truth to those characterizations. I know for me, I can sometimes get complacent and almost have to drag my heels to get moving on things. However, once I get started, there is no stopping me. I’m determined to see things through.

Some changes can be sudden and unexpected. Anytime I’ve started a new phase in my life, whether it be starting a new job/position, moving to a new home or starting a new relationship, I start to plan around it and plan for the long haul. I rarely factor in that those phases, changes or new experiences could suddenly come to an end, causing me to pivot in another direction. For the changes that are beyond my control, I’ve learned to accept them since I don’t have any other choice. For the changes that are harder to accept, I’m always trying to get better with handling those shifts with grace. What I have a hard time with is knowing what to do next, and often wonder, whether the universe is trying to get me to take some sort of major action.

Last month marked my two year anniversary of when I started my current job. I’ve been hitting a groove at work, feeling settled in my areas of expertise and wondering what my next move will be. In the HR world, there’s a belief that you need to start looking for your next opportunity once you hit your 2-3 year mark. It doesn’t look good to be in a position too long without any growth. If you stay with the same employer for more than a couple of years, you need to make sure you’re moving up the ranks or doing some sort of professional development to make sense of the long tenure. I was in my last role for 4 years, but was getting my degree in the field I’m in now, so it made my transition to a new role seamless. There’s always exceptions to this rule though. I’ve seen people leave jobs they’ve held for 10+ years and still be able to move on to other prominent roles. It’ll all depend on your intentions, motivations and what the hiring manager sees as assets.

This week, I received news that someone who is an integral part of our team will be leaving us. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised because the writing was on the wall for some months now. It didn’t soften the blow nonetheless. It hadn’t really hit me until days later. After all, she was responsible for so many of the initiatives we were rolling out and was the OD (organizational development) guru of our team. I can’t help but wonder, what will we do without her? I was blessed to get to speak with her the day the news came out. As we were wishing each other well, I also felt a call to action (prompted by her initially). A call to step up even more in my current role and to think about what the next level of my career would look like, despite the fact that I am spread a little too thin already. I’m not sure what that entails in this moment, but I’m remaining open to the possibilities.

Managing this shift will entail setting boundaries and knowing when to disengage when burnout starts to creep in. Even though I’m pouring myself into my well-being, work, class, my blog and podcast, I’m in a space where I’m able to manage them well because I’m realistic about the time I can dedicate to each. I’m learning how to prioritize and re-prioritize. With this loss to our team, I know I’ll need to show up in new ways. I vow to honor myself and my needs. Luckily, I’ve been squirreling away my paid time off for those days I’ll need to unplug and decompress.

I have 6 weeks left of my class, so that’ll be one less thing off my plate soon. My fitness routine will need to change a bit now that the days are getting shorter and the cold is setting in, but not by a lot because I’m hitting all my mini-goals and seeing the results I’ve been working towards. As for the blog, I post twice a week and with the podcast, I’ll be posting every two weeks, which gives me enough time to plan ahead. For work, I know I’ll have to do more heavy lifting but that will be relegated to just 9-5 on the weekdays. My motto is, “what doesn’t get done today can get done tomorrow”. I am managing that work accordingly and managing others’ expectations of me. There are 60 days left in this year so I plan on finishing strong.