You know, the Kathy Sierra article that I linked to yesterday, Death by risk aversion just won’t get out of my head, because it touches a couple of issues that have been bothering me lately, and gives me some encouragement. Going through the article’s trackbacks, I see that other people are also picking up on the same points. The first is her comment on not being afraid of change:
Practice LETTING GO Here’s where the Buddhists have an edge. Too many of us hold on to practices or ideas (including sacred cows) long past their sell-by date. If it doesn’t serve us any longer, it’s time to give it up no matter how well it served us in the past. Of course, “letting go” means temporarily experiencing that painful, awkward, “I suck” stage again. But pro athletes do it if they want to break through plateus. Go players do it to move up in ranks. Musicians let go of habits and styles. Programmers do it (waterfall anyone?). Writers do it. Anyone who has switched from skiing to snowboarding (or switched from regular to “goofy foot”) has learned to let go.
I can relate to this one in spades! Right now, I’m applying for jobs, and waiting for that email of phone call, and of course I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t think “why oh why did I leave that safe job back in Wales, or even that safe job here in Beijing? Why did I spend so much time and money on an MBA?”. I hate being jobless, and it’s a really long time since I was in this position – for a long time, I’ve had the skills, experience, and connections to get a new job fairly easily. But, I’m glad I made the switch to Asia, I’m glad I took the MBA – because I’m being forced to adapt to a totally new environment, and I’m growing every day. Of course – growth can be painful, and so I’m stuck right now in the “I suck” stage, still trying to find the right niche for my new skills and outlook. But, “everything changes, nothing is permanent”, and something will come up. The other issue is avoiding mediocrity: it’s something I’ve been mulling over regarding this blog. When I started blogging, I did so anonymously, and I got into the habit of self-censorship to try to avoid giving away hints to my identity. Plus, I was blogging in Singapore where, like all foreigners, I was there on sufferance, and all blogs and other outlets of expression are tightly monitored. It surprises people when I tell them, but I actually feel freer to speak now that I’m in China (and I guess I’ll have to say something about the Google thing at some point, but that’s another post). Anyway, so I feel I’ve kind of slipped into a bland, inoffensive way of writing that isn’t too gripping to read. So, more opinions needed, perhaps!
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