New job, new mindset
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog and that’s because I started working again. Can you believe it? Yes, I’m back at the office, but things are very much different now. I’m not working fulltime and I’m not in the corporate world. This new job is parttime and more on the social spectrum of things.
On the 1st of November 2021, I started working as a communications advisor for an aid organization. It all started when I decided I wanted to work again. Initially I wanted to do volunteering work because I like the causes these organizations stand for. Then, praise be to God, I found out that some of these organizations also offered paid roles. I applied for the job, got invited for an interview and the conversation just flowed naturally. Before I knew it, I got hired! Now it was time to say goodbye to the freedom that was my sabbatical and hello to a new adventure.
I’m calling this a new adventure, because I didn’t really have any idea what to expect. I knew little about the organization and have never worked in communications before. I believed (and so did the recruiters) that I could do the job. My marketing management degree is definitely going to help, because it’s somewhat related to communications. Also, I used this blog to display my writing skills, and I think that helped to an extent.
However, let me tell you that in spite of all that, the first day was still a bit off. For some reason, as soon as I stepped into this new office, I started comparing things to my old working place. During the day I was bombarded with new information, new colleagues, new names; it was a lot. At the end of the day I was literally wondering ‘What did I get myself into?’ But I had to remind myself to be open to change and to stop comparing, because comparison truly is a thief of joy. Comparing this new job to my old one made me overlook the great new things that I was blessed to work with. As soon as I decided to stop comparing and activated a new mindset, I started enjoying every day after that first day.
Now, there are challenges. I went from being an expert in my previous job to now being the newbie in this role. This also comes with making mistakes, because I’m still learning how to do all of this the right way. If you know me, you know I dislike making mistakes. But here’s where the new mindset comes in again. I’m embracing the mistakes I make and learning how to do it better the next time. If anything, this is the best time to be making plenty mistakes, because people will be understanding. I’m open to learn and if I fail while I’m at it, then so be it. I’ll pick up the lessons and improve each time. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
At times doubts creep in and I fear I might have made the wrong choice. Maybe I should have chosen something that is truly marketing related or something with more data, since I claim to love data so much. But truth be told, I feel at peace when I’m at work. I have the opportunity to learn new things and indirectly impact the lives of people. This is what I wanted in a job and this is what I have right now. This doesn’t mean this job is perfect. Even if later on I feel like I didn’t make the right decision, then I can always look for something else. There are so many jobs out there, don’t let people have you think you’re stuck where you are.
For now, I’m enjoying my time in this new role at a Christian organization that helps people and doesn’t discriminate when doing so. I’m glad I can be a part of this.
