Feeling Good about taking on Tough Roles
On July 1, 2022, I started a new chapter of my life. I left the school that I had invested 12 years of my life in, and started a new leadership position in a new community. After 7 months in the job, I started to hear questions from the people I serve and the people I work with that have caused me to pause and reflect on the work that I have chosen to do.
The questions included:
How do you like your job now?
Is it harder than your previous job?
What was the most challenging part of your job?
Is the job harder than you think?
These questions came from really caring people who wanted to see me succeed in leading the organization. These questions came from thoughtful people who wanted to connect with me, and I really appreciated the care I received.
At the same time, I detected an underlying assumption that this job should be hard and difficult, and that I had overwhelming challenges to overcome. I recognized and acknowledged that these questions came from a place of care. At the same time, I noticed myself reacting to these questions.
I had been working on ways to reduce stress from work, employing productivity systems, shifting my belief system, and personal inventions that helped me focus on the parts of the job that brought me joy. As a result, my wife and close friends had noticed that I seemed relaxed, less stressed, and more present when I was with them. I was actually really happy with where I was and the work that I got to do. I was happy to go to work, and I was not worrying about work when I got home. I was really happy.
So the questions that assumed my job was hard had caused me to notice a voice of doubt in me. I wondered:
Am I too ignorant?
Am I not being serious enough about my job?
Have I stopped caring what I do?
Should I be working longer hours, working harder, and worrying more?
Am I not smart enough to detect the dangers that are coming my way?
What if feeling good is good? Feeling good about what I do should bring excitement and joy rather than doubt. It means I am excited about the work and hopeful for the change I can make in this world. It also helps to have close friends and family around me to reassure me that I am doing good work, and that feeling good about the good work I do is normal.
This experience taught me to embrace the questions and reassure myself that feeling good is good.
