Routine #1 – The daily fear facing:
– Office Fears
Just got home from a super intense 12-hour workday. Fun, exciting, and full of small fear facing moments. Here’s the three that impacted me the most.
- I had meeting with one of my bosses concerning different possibilities for me moving forward. One of the alternatives are making me a bit hesitant, and to be frank, scares the crap out of me. I’m afraid it’s going to jeopardize the ability for me to handle my new part-time marketing role.
I had felt an urge to express these emotions, and I knew my body language already were at times. It would put me in a vulnerable and unconformable position, and I wouldn’t want to come off as a complainer. I just wanted to come clean with my worries. More to it, my fear facing muscle needed closure as It was something I had identified as a fear of mine a couple of days ago.
So I said all that. Now, I’m not sure whether that was the smartest move or not. But it felt damn good, and it really made me feel like I was true to myself. I’m the kind of person that express my concerns and opinions, that’s a value I hold high and want to live by. Self-esteem boosted.
2. I accepted an after-work office mingle event with food and activities this Thursday. These things are so hard for me to attend. SO HARD. I feel that I have so much other stuff to do that is much more important. However, getting to know your colleagues, having fun together and eat some good food should be prioritized.
Frankly, this is actually one of my biggest fears in life. To not constantly be productive and do things that move me forward. Like creating a video or working on some project. The thing is, building strong social connections is one of the most effective ways of doing this. New opportunities most often come through engagement with other people. By sharing your ideas, intentionally or unintentionally. Which is something I need to remind myself of more often.
I still feel bad about doing this on Thursday, and my mind will try hard to come up with all kinds of excuses to get me out of it. It has already done a good job of that. But I’m determined to make this event the fear facing action of the day Thursday. Please check up on me ?.
2. Needed some information from a person. Safe route – email my questions. The identified fear route – call and practice some rapport building. Went for the fear inducing one. So glad for that! Ending up having a 40-minute conversation with loads of laughter. That’s in-between all the good information I got out in a way that never would had been able in an efficient wat through emailing.
Routine #2 – Doing new things:
– No refills
Today it was more about what I DIDN’T do. You see, I have a special relationship to food. It’s what you would call a love-hate one. Anyways, one of my other bosses took me out for a lunch meeting. It was a bufee. Now we’re really talking love-hate relationship. I don’t think I’ve ever walked out of one not being completely stuffed. With food and anxiety. Today I didn’t. I just took one normally sized plate. And no refills. One-year-ago-Alex would have fainted if he heard this.
Walking out of there I felt so got damn proud. And it has grown on me throughout the day. Now the deeper reasons for why this had such an impact is a story for another day. But the way it happened is what impresses me here. Mostly I did it to get my “try-something-new” checkbox checked so I could let it go for today. It just proves how much these things do. When things aren’t “I should”, but “I must”. Then we make sure to do it, and the results keeps coming. Without that much of an effort – That’s the power of routines.
🙂
Before leaving you for today, I just confirm that I did do the homemade hummus yesterday. AND IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING. Soo good. You see? Another great thing that came out of me forcing myself to trying something new.
See you tomorrow, Fear facer,
/Alex
