Empty chairs and empty tables...
No, I'm not going to sing a song from Les Misérables, but this song did come to mind as I was walking around work today. Since our company was acquired in April, there has been a very different look and feel around the office having empty cubes where once there were none. Where we had a buzz of activity and energy, now it's much quieter, less active, and more cautious. From an environment of creativity and projects to one of the mundane and maintenance. A bit depressing.
We, as Americans, put so much of who we are into our careers to the extent that we let them define us, sometimes becoming all that we are; oftentimes outside of our careers and titles, we are left empty. I felt this way over the past several years. I put so much into my role, changing how I thought and growing every day, becoming an "executive" that I started to forget who I was.
Then I experienced a change at work where my job duties remained the same, but my title and pay decreased. No longer was I a Vice President, but now I was "just" a Sr. Director. I could no longer call the shots but instead had to seek approval for things within my area of expertise.
Life is like this sometimes, with its ebbs and flows. And I, for one, need an occasional punch to the stomach to keep my balance and perspective. My job change along with its recent acquisition, my family changes at home as my children continue to grow up, and my father's and father-in-law's battle with life-changing illness all provide this punch. All of which have provided a much needed mental, and emotional health check for me. Pushing me to re-evaluate what truly matters in life. Making me begin to think about what I want my legacy to be. Perhaps that is why I'm on this journey?
More to ponder, and write about at another time...
We, as Americans, put so much of who we are into our careers to the extent that we let them define us, sometimes becoming all that we are; oftentimes outside of our careers and titles, we are left empty. I felt this way over the past several years. I put so much into my role, changing how I thought and growing every day, becoming an "executive" that I started to forget who I was.
Then I experienced a change at work where my job duties remained the same, but my title and pay decreased. No longer was I a Vice President, but now I was "just" a Sr. Director. I could no longer call the shots but instead had to seek approval for things within my area of expertise.
Life is like this sometimes, with its ebbs and flows. And I, for one, need an occasional punch to the stomach to keep my balance and perspective. My job change along with its recent acquisition, my family changes at home as my children continue to grow up, and my father's and father-in-law's battle with life-changing illness all provide this punch. All of which have provided a much needed mental, and emotional health check for me. Pushing me to re-evaluate what truly matters in life. Making me begin to think about what I want my legacy to be. Perhaps that is why I'm on this journey?
More to ponder, and write about at another time...
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