My friend C. said that when you’ve been out of the office environment for awhile that it’s like trying to become an indoor cat when you’ve been an outdoor cat. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the metaphor exactly since I’m a dog person (oh, the happy day when I get a black Lab!) But I get her point.
New job is great, but challenging. When you run your own consulting thing, you can imagine that you are a big fish in a big pond. Because, well, it’s your pond.
Now I am definitely a small to medium fish in a huge, huge pond. In my twenties, in my previous work life, I did so many things that I’m not proud of—crying in the bathroom, crying in meetings, gossiping, getting drunk at office parties and dancing with wild abandon. But maybe that’s what your twenties are for.
Now that I’m in my 30’s and have been on my own for awhile, I want to come back stronger, more professional. There’s a woman in our department. She’s probably mid 40’s. She looked so great in today’s meeting. Really professional, but not overdone, wrap dress. She was friendly, smiled a lot, but didn’t say more than necessary. She, and my boss, are my role models. They are good at what they do and it radiates inside and out. Yet neither of them are stress balls or show offs. Or if they are, they don’t show it.
I used to be such a showboater at meetings—I wanted to show how valuable I was, how much I could contribute. This time around, I’m trying to listen more, put more effort in behind the scenes.
So here’s to the woman I hope I’m becoming—a little more self assured, a little more confident, even a little more chic. I like me, but I like her too.
