All in Career
It recently occurred to me that I will not ever be a mechanic. Or a viola player. Or an accountant. Or an engineer. Or a clown. I’m 100% okay with the clown thing, but the rest? I think it would be interesting to learn more about so many things. But unless I figure out how to live 500 lifetimes, I don’t foresee diesel mechanic happening any time soon.
The article intrigues me, but I don’t want to get distracted form the task at hand—my followers are demanding more pickle recipes, damn it! The solution? I pause for a moment, right click and select Open Link in New Browser Window. The result? I end up with way more windows open than are sensible or easily navigated.
Professionally, I’ve felt the sting of rejection more times than I can count. Anybody who has applied for more than two jobs online knows how disheartening the auto-reply ‘thanks, but no thanks’ email can be, especially when it comes moments after submitting. Even worse, speaking with a recruiter who says they’ll be in touch to schedule an interview and then they disappear off the face of the earth is confusing and disappointing.
Think back to the last time someone asked you how you were doing. What was your response? I’d be willing to bet your answer was something along the lines of, “Great, but busy…” or “Tired! There are not enough hours in the day…”
Other than the predictable, steady income, I find nothing appealing about the traditional approach to work. As I’m seeing moderate amounts of success in the gig economy, I’m more and more confident I can build my business to be stable and with more diversified income streams than relying one full-time employer.
I couldn’t have imagined when Harry pulled that box out of the closet just how deep I would go with this. As my mind got lost in the world of that tractor, I was able to sort through the anxieties, let them go and formulate ways to get back on track. I completely forgot the value in not thinking about my problems in order to solve my problems.
Ultimately, I lost sight of the transactional nature of work. I actually believed my employer cared about me beyond what I could provide for them. In good faith, I gave my all. I dedicated myself to the companies I worked for and expected more in return than they were willing to give, even if they said otherwise.
For decades I assumed most of the people around me had everything figured out—they knew more than me about school, work, relationships and life in general. To survive, I lived and died by fake it ‘til you make it.
Reconnecting with a person from my distant past was a great way to tap into who Mollie Braun was. It also reminded me that I’m nowhere near who or what I thought I’d be at this point in my life. And maybe that’s a good thing.
I logged into LinkedIn this morning to check my messages and the top of my newsfeed was a former co-worker who had just updated her title to VP of Global Talent. I’m embarrassed to admit, my initial response was not positive—it was more of a punch in the gut.
When I was a kid, I loved the Fisher-Price Little People. I had the farm, house, Sesame Street, A-Frame and house boat, just to name a few. All of these sets were inherited from my brother, Jeremy, and were well-worn with more than a few missing parts.
So what’s my beef with SHRM19 and other HR conventions? Well, I’ll tell you. The ideas and concepts discussed there are the only things to happen in Vegas that actually stay in Vegas.
