Embrace Growth

Life is funny.

I’m sure that no one is particularly shocked by that statement, but it is sometimes a revelation to me.

Yesterday I was informed by a co-worker that she had gotten a job offer and was leaving our company. I knew that she had been looking for different opportunities and was looking to further herself professionally, but when she told me, I was still taken by surprise and it brought to light the reality of how quickly things can change. Her leaving has a big impact on the organization as well as me, personally. Not only is she a colleague of mine, but also a close friend, who I will miss very much.

I work at a very fast paced and politically charged social services agency and my co-workers and I hear many down on your luck stories from various customers. Sometimes, it’s life’s unfair and innocent people get the short end of the stick and other times, it’s self inflicted bad luck, that causes the problem. I will admit, I’m not always the most compassionate person, I’ve seen and heard so much that I’m often numb. Sadly, that’s a typical side effect of my job. Don’t misunderstand, my job can be very fulfilling, when I am able to truly help someone, it’s a very rewarding place to work, however the reality is that I can’t always make every customer happy and there are times when the end of the day comes and I feel as if I didn’t help anyone at all. On those occasions, it can be a very thankless place to work. So often times, what really gets you through your day is the idea of working with such great people on a daily basis. My co-worker is one of those people. She isn’t as cynical and jaded as I and she has always been able to help me see a different perspective, thus providing me an opportunity to  grow as a professional as well as an individual.

So yeah, life is funny. You just never know what situation or person is going to enter your life next or what you will get out of the encounter. So the lesson for today is; be open to experiencing new opportunities, opening yourself up to new ideas, and allowing yourself to grow, you never know what may come from it.