Wish I’d Known
written by
Jeannette Zink
Sometimes I hear people speak with tones of remorse as they stroke their crystal ball with the mystical whispers of “wish I’d known.” It is as if their yesteryears lacked the clarion voice of today’s acquired wisdom. I guess my psyche travels in a slightly different circle of thought … let go of baggage claimed yesterday, benefit from today’s procured insight, and grab hold of tomorrow’s bold new opportunities … that’s my motto. But, just for fun let’s take a quick merry-go-round look-see at a time long ago when first I stepped foot on the ladder of my now 45-year career. Back in the olden days when I viewed my career as nothing more than a “job” to earn money, my wisdom could best be described as “evolving” and my sense of urgency to make well-informed and thoughtful decision danced a whimsical tune of throwing caution to the winds of whatever. So, if I had known then (job epoch) what I know now (career epoch) … wish I’d known… back in those olden days … what erudite nuggets would have informed my naïve blithe yesteryears:
1. Career ladders are intended to have wobbly steps … don’t try to skip, leap or skirt any step … they promote tomorrow’s wisdom and today’s character. Cherish each step of the tears, struggles, and victories as they prepare you for the goals you will strive to achieve throughout your career.
2. Failures are disguised gifts – when unwrapped we find inside an exquisite wealth of knowledge. Think of failures as a soft opening to the many successes that are destined to follow. Learn from each experience as you prepare for your GRAND OPENING!
3. The sandbox of my youth would become the space for creative problem solving and new discoveries for all the future “what-if” questions. Pens, calculators, computers, tablets replacing my crayons, paints, brushes and sandcastles … but not the creative spirit to find answers hidden inside the doodles etched on a once blank page. Play with the grains of exploration without the filters of fear and doubt washing away your shoreline of “what-ifs.”
4. My fears of success and failure were grounded more by the desire to be right than not wrong … right = success / wrong = failure … or so I thought. Wish I’d known that being wrong would lead to far more success and refreshing happiness. I have learned more from being wrong than I ever learned from being right. Guess I was wrong trying to be perfectly right.
5. Perfectionism is a waste of time. Wish I’d known this little gem a loooong time ago! Do not aspire to be perfect, aspire for excellence and dust around the messy parts. My first grade teacher applauded my ability to always color between the lines. It was only after tip toeing outside the lines that painting and learning took on a rainbow scape of lifetime knowledge. Spend your hours outside the line of perfectionism … it will be your best investment of time, energy and effort.
6. Work hard for the money, as the song goes. With all due respect to the songwriter, I suggest a slight modification to the words of this song. I’d say work smart, work with dedication, work with excellence, work with integrity, work with stewardship, and work with respect for others … working hard and long hours may make great song lyrics, but does not score star points for a stellar career.
7. Wish I’d known … Get a life! A career and the success of that career are much like your favorite pie. There are basic ingredients that are needed for any pie just as there are basic expectations in the workplace. There are also unique ingredients that set your favorite pie apart from others just as there are skill sets and individualism that give you a unique voice and contributions for the workplace. In the making of the pie and in the making of a career, there are equal parts: ingredients, mixing, baking, and a cooling period. Bon appétit. Pies and careers are best made with each part given balanced attention. And, by all means … Get a life!
8. Hierarchy reign and office politics … Game of Thrones in the workplace. As much as I would prefer to skip over this phenomenon of gamesmanship and organizational culture, I will remove my rose-color glasses and declare without dramatic gesture the existence of both. Learn as much as you can early in your career the rules of engagement and tactical maneuvers of these team sports. Wish I’d known how valuable these games are in the professional setting and in the personal off-Broadway production of our lives. The language, rules and expectations of these games are rarely included in the academic curriculum … look instead for an on-the-job mentorship to explain these facts of life and/or check out the business section in your local library. Wish I’d known sooner rather than later how to play the game.
9. Strong bridges, sturdy fences and the janitorial team …. The infrastructure of my career could have fallen apart on numerous occasions. The links that averted such professional disasters were the bridges erected and sustained at the hand of collegial respect, fences constructed for demarcation of space rather than silo kingdoms, and a janitorial maintenance team clearing the way for new beginnings. Do Not Burn Your Bridges, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, and the Janitor May Be Your Next Boss -- sage offerings that are as true today as they have been throughout the ages.
10. Can’t see the forest for the trees … Some may see only the forest, while others may only see the trees, and then there are those who see the overall forest and the minutiae within the forest -- trees, plants, underbrush and waterfalls … It comes down to how one may approach professional challenges. The correct approach is the one that works best for you and the one that works best to achieve a common goal. Just keep open to multiple ways of seeing the landscape.
11. Know when it’s time to move on …. There are road signs to guide the journey you choose to take in life. Heed the road signs, my friends. More than likely, the most important road sign you will ever know intimately is the one that is invisible to everyone, except to you. I refer to your homegrown instincts … the sixth sense of cloudy answers and insecure next steps. There have been times when I was very happy with the status quo of my career. Yet, my inklings and the clearly marked road signs were beckoning me to take bold new adventures. The message delivered through this vessel of abstract delivery is as valid as any formal written communiqué. Respect the nudge and pack your bags … it’s time to move on!
12. Golden Rule …. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Know it, do it and be it … the person that follows the Golden Rule. Your life will be enriched and those that find themselves within your circumference will forever be changed by the wisdom it carries and the grace that it bestows.
These are my erudite nuggets that I share with you – ponder if you wish with a grain of salt. Perhaps these nuggets may not fit into your schema of life, but just in case … pause to consider as you meander your way toward each new goal and remarkable achievement.
May we each find joy in our lifetime journey … forever made stronger and wiser from the gifts that came wrapped within each challenge, failure and success.
As for me, the road sign is distinct and well-marked … now is the time for me to grab hold of tomorrow’s bold new opportunities!
Bon appétit!
2. Failures are disguised gifts – when unwrapped we find inside an exquisite wealth of knowledge. Think of failures as a soft opening to the many successes that are destined to follow. Learn from each experience as you prepare for your GRAND OPENING!
3. The sandbox of my youth would become the space for creative problem solving and new discoveries for all the future “what-if” questions. Pens, calculators, computers, tablets replacing my crayons, paints, brushes and sandcastles … but not the creative spirit to find answers hidden inside the doodles etched on a once blank page. Play with the grains of exploration without the filters of fear and doubt washing away your shoreline of “what-ifs.”
4. My fears of success and failure were grounded more by the desire to be right than not wrong … right = success / wrong = failure … or so I thought. Wish I’d known that being wrong would lead to far more success and refreshing happiness. I have learned more from being wrong than I ever learned from being right. Guess I was wrong trying to be perfectly right.
5. Perfectionism is a waste of time. Wish I’d known this little gem a loooong time ago! Do not aspire to be perfect, aspire for excellence and dust around the messy parts. My first grade teacher applauded my ability to always color between the lines. It was only after tip toeing outside the lines that painting and learning took on a rainbow scape of lifetime knowledge. Spend your hours outside the line of perfectionism … it will be your best investment of time, energy and effort.
6. Work hard for the money, as the song goes. With all due respect to the songwriter, I suggest a slight modification to the words of this song. I’d say work smart, work with dedication, work with excellence, work with integrity, work with stewardship, and work with respect for others … working hard and long hours may make great song lyrics, but does not score star points for a stellar career.
7. Wish I’d known … Get a life! A career and the success of that career are much like your favorite pie. There are basic ingredients that are needed for any pie just as there are basic expectations in the workplace. There are also unique ingredients that set your favorite pie apart from others just as there are skill sets and individualism that give you a unique voice and contributions for the workplace. In the making of the pie and in the making of a career, there are equal parts: ingredients, mixing, baking, and a cooling period. Bon appétit. Pies and careers are best made with each part given balanced attention. And, by all means … Get a life!
8. Hierarchy reign and office politics … Game of Thrones in the workplace. As much as I would prefer to skip over this phenomenon of gamesmanship and organizational culture, I will remove my rose-color glasses and declare without dramatic gesture the existence of both. Learn as much as you can early in your career the rules of engagement and tactical maneuvers of these team sports. Wish I’d known how valuable these games are in the professional setting and in the personal off-Broadway production of our lives. The language, rules and expectations of these games are rarely included in the academic curriculum … look instead for an on-the-job mentorship to explain these facts of life and/or check out the business section in your local library. Wish I’d known sooner rather than later how to play the game.
9. Strong bridges, sturdy fences and the janitorial team …. The infrastructure of my career could have fallen apart on numerous occasions. The links that averted such professional disasters were the bridges erected and sustained at the hand of collegial respect, fences constructed for demarcation of space rather than silo kingdoms, and a janitorial maintenance team clearing the way for new beginnings. Do Not Burn Your Bridges, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, and the Janitor May Be Your Next Boss -- sage offerings that are as true today as they have been throughout the ages.
10. Can’t see the forest for the trees … Some may see only the forest, while others may only see the trees, and then there are those who see the overall forest and the minutiae within the forest -- trees, plants, underbrush and waterfalls … It comes down to how one may approach professional challenges. The correct approach is the one that works best for you and the one that works best to achieve a common goal. Just keep open to multiple ways of seeing the landscape.
11. Know when it’s time to move on …. There are road signs to guide the journey you choose to take in life. Heed the road signs, my friends. More than likely, the most important road sign you will ever know intimately is the one that is invisible to everyone, except to you. I refer to your homegrown instincts … the sixth sense of cloudy answers and insecure next steps. There have been times when I was very happy with the status quo of my career. Yet, my inklings and the clearly marked road signs were beckoning me to take bold new adventures. The message delivered through this vessel of abstract delivery is as valid as any formal written communiqué. Respect the nudge and pack your bags … it’s time to move on!
12. Golden Rule …. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Know it, do it and be it … the person that follows the Golden Rule. Your life will be enriched and those that find themselves within your circumference will forever be changed by the wisdom it carries and the grace that it bestows.
These are my erudite nuggets that I share with you – ponder if you wish with a grain of salt. Perhaps these nuggets may not fit into your schema of life, but just in case … pause to consider as you meander your way toward each new goal and remarkable achievement.
May we each find joy in our lifetime journey … forever made stronger and wiser from the gifts that came wrapped within each challenge, failure and success.
As for me, the road sign is distinct and well-marked … now is the time for me to grab hold of tomorrow’s bold new opportunities!
Bon appétit!
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