Change is Good

Not my fav statement. I’m a creature of habit who thrives on consistency and structure. I follow the same routine, eat the same foods, and get up at the same time every day. Heck, I’ve bought the same sneakers for ten years. My regimented ways haven’t hurt my writing career; on the contrary, they’ve been an asset, ensuring that I get my writing done. The same goes for exercise and food choices  – for all intents and purposes, I’m a creature of habit. Predictable, steady, on time.

Sound mundane? Risk adverse? For all of the above, it works perfectly fine. In regards to change, the challenge usually arises with those aspects of my life that I can’t control, one of them being my job.

My work environment is one of flux where folks come and go anywhere from inside of a year to a couple of years. A person arrives, stays for a stretch of time, then transitions to a new role. Every new arrival brings an integration period that I find unsettling and awkward. My initial response is to build a barrier of personal protection, where I appear polite but formal, keeping them at an arm’s length. Why? Eventually they’ll leave, and I don’t like change.

Now, because I’m a person who asks many questions, enjoys conversation and learning new things, I can’t be formal for too long. Once a solid connection is made and we’re working in rhythm, I open up a bit more. Things begin to feel status quo, a.k.a., comfortable, normal, routine. Just when we’re rocking a groove, it’s time for them to transition into a new role, and once again I’m forced to exit my comfort zone.

Here’s my swirling thoughts: What lies ahead? Is someone else coming in? If not, whose picking up the extra work? Is it me? Is it someone else? If it’s me, I want to know now, and I want to know exactly what I’m doing, preferably before I’m doing it. Oh crap, I don’t know some of that work. If it’s someone else, I want to know who it is and when they’re coming. Oh crap, now I have to train someone else.

Change is the unknown, and the unknown can be scary. However, what I discovered this last time around was that change, although a shift, really can be good.

Each time a fellow coworker has entered and exited, it has not only changed the work situation, it’s changed me. First there was detail-oriented Beckie, who trained me in my position well beyond her obligated time period. Then there was savvy Jennie, who without teaching me, taught me the ropes of the business. Jen, not to be confused with Jennie, held my hand on my very first project. She patiently explained what I needed to do, eliminating first project stress attack. Malia, though I rarely saw her, performed an act of kindness by showing me how to use the company travel site. I would have stumbled for quite some time if it weren’t for her. Kelly, who absorbs information like a sponge does water, taught me mad Excel skills and gave me a very handy PowerPoint on pivot tables (still struggling with the pivot). Laura, no matter how busy her day was, made me feel like her door was always open. We spent time discussing career choices, and she helped me to answer the nagging utilitarian versus ego question of, did I want my master’s degree for job progression, or for the matter of saying I had one?. Frankie was feisty, popular and good natured. She was my go-to for who’s who and what do they do questions. Jamie was my most recent loss. An extrovert who initially excited my introvert personality, her chronic pleasantness became contagious. She was a wealth of knowledge with a bubbly personality. She not only took the time to share her business acumen, she explained processes that I couldn’t wrap my head around.

When it comes to writing, exercise, and buying sneakers, I’m perfectly fine with being resistant to change. Because of my past coworkers, I’ve discovered that I’m better than I thought I was, smarter than I thought I was, and learned more than I thought I needed to. And though I miss them, I now understand that the cycle of change is imperative for growth and learning. My coworkers enlightened me, helped develop my confidence and yes, played an instrumental role in changing me – I’d like to think for the better.

And I didn’t feel a thing.

That’s kind of exciting, right?