It's been a long time since I have be available to write! My how time flies. I know, I've not kept my promise, but I honestly did not expect to be as busy as I was while in school. Looking back, I was a bit mad to take 6 core courses at the same time with the same level of expectation. It was not only mentally challenging, but it was a challenge to manage priorities for each of the classes. Given that they were all fourth year classes, I'm proud to share that not only did I survive the semester, I managed to maintain my GPA. (Though secretly, I am hoping to bump it up come the last fall semester course in September!)
What was my biggest take-away from my first full time semester of school as an adult? I think it was admitting to myself that I couldn't do it all. I had to triage and pick & choose my projects and time spent working on certain aspects of class work. For example, there were many group projects over the semester (too many honestly!) and my course load necessitated that I could not offer the time commitment to take the reins and manage the group. In one particular case, that was a completely disastrous decision (we failed the project). In another, it was smooth sailing and we ended up with an A on the project. Further, there were projects that I realized I simply would not have the time I would have liked to research or dedicate to in depth editing. How incredibly hit and miss and all I could do was go with the flow. I learned to accept that I could offer no more within the time constraints, given that I often had conflicting priorities. It was the 80/20 rule working in real life. For the most part, it served me well.
The bigger question, I realize looking back, is can I really dial my style back to 80/20? I'm not so sure. While I see the value in it, I always felt like things were not finished to the best of my ability....and the grades definitely reflected that. After all an A- (or B+) is simply not as impressive as an A+. Still, does it matter? No, not really. That comes from a place of ego. I like knowing that I've exhausted my tool set and done my best. Is that wrong? Some would say yes, it's inefficient. Others would suggest that it becomes a creative driving force. Me, I'm still on the fence about it. (That's the joy of life, always learning and growing.)
These past five months have zipped by. I left my job of 13 years so I could go back to school full time and get my degree finally completed. I managed to successfully complete a tough full time semester of school, married the man I love and photographed the first ever Wingsuit World Cup Performance Flying competition. It's been a whirlwind 5 months and as the sixth month of the year begins, I am ready to embark on my next adventures, including a new job with a company that has been seen as “the competition” for the past 13 years. It is going to be an interesting year, no doubt about that.
I've rather missed sharing my meanderings, having some quite "brain time", but time has not been my friend. I have been chasing the clock for far too many months now and I am eager to finally have things slow down.
Sadly, I'm afraid that things will not slow down anytime soon, though I am hopeful. The outstanding "To Do" list feels daunting; all I can do is take it one task at a time. The first big task – is studying for my CFP exam this coming Friday. I am ill-prepared for it and I have the next four days for some serious cramming. I know I have bit off more than I can chew and I’m ready for those consequences. I can always re-write the exam in the fall….either way, it’s all very exciting, with the exam I’ll gain some insight/experience into the world of finance a little more and within two weeks I’ll start my new job, in the same industry as I’ve worked for the past 13 years. While it will be like slipping on an old worn pair of gloves, it will be gloves being used for a new purpose. It's exciting and frightening all at the same time, for I've never been good at selling myself and I haven’t yet had the time to determine what the best direction is for me. A comfortable worn glove is comforting and I look forward to the challenge of understanding the industry from a new perspective.
The next 7 months will be a lot of soul searching as EQ and I determine where/what we do in 2016. I’ll officially have completed my degree and we will have many more options open to us. Sometimes too many choices can be paralyzing! All we can do is process them as they come.
I suppose that is my moment from these past five months: recognizing that I don’t have to juggle everything all the time. I can leave some of the balls on the ground and wait before adding more to my plate. This is not an easy behaviour for me, but I have learned that I CAN do it.
Moments choosing the most important projects to be juggled. Moments knowing that you don’t have to pick up all the balls.
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