Trying something new

I got a new job and I’m learning new things but it’s hard. I said I wanted to learn new things and I do mean it but that means doing things that I’m sometimes not so good at and accepting corrections. I know nobody is perfect right off the bat but it’s hard for me to take corrections because it’s a sensitive area for me. It makes me think of the years in school when I was never quite “good enough” and I never got it “quite right.” I know that I need to be able to learn from what I’m taking in, not take it personally and try my best to do things differently.

I’m working on a big project where I need to take what I’ve learned, summarize it and then make a lesson plan for other self-advocates. The deadline for the first part of the project is looming soon and I’m thinking ‘goodness gracious, why am I doing this?’ My anxiety is high and my self-confidence is low. However, regardless of my emotions, I need to get a hold of myself and start working so I don’t feel so pressured and frantic before the deadline.

 Good news is my friend is very good at helping me translate my ideas into concrete plans and is good at helping me cheerlead myself into a better position. What does that mean? it’s the positive self-talk that I need to do to get past my anxiety and self-doubt. After all, everybody knows this is the first time I’m doing this so they’re not expecting perfection, just for me to do my best. My first draft is due in one week and I’m hoping to work on it three times this week with my friend before sending the finished draft this Friday to my partner on the project. I need to have confidence that if my boss didn’t think I could do this, she wouldn’t have assigned me to this project.

 The biggest takeaway is I need to have faith that no matter what happens, whether I do well or poorly in this project, I’m going to be okay. This is an opportunity to learn, develop new skills and learn from other people. Is this comfortable or is this easy? No, but growing and changing usually isn’t. Have you ever had the opportunity to try something new and you say to yourself, “Do I really want to try this or chance it?” What was the end result? How do you feel about what you did? I hope you found my blog interesting or at least helpful. Best wishes to all the readers seeking and finding new opportunities.