Months have now passed since the first work-from-home order met many of our inboxes.
For some, work continued as usual, just from a family room or kitchen.
For others, work met rapid adaptations, all necessary to continue forward in a similar, yet redefined ways.
And yet, for most, work stopped completely; in less than 24 hours, work life and work identity vanished.
Change is hard enough when we know it’s coming and can plan for it.
So—unplanned change, that stops routine in its tracks and slowly cracks away at our identity—well, that takes a toll.
As our world begins to reboot, and we witness the beginning of small steps forward, a semblance of old work routines and practices start to regain momentum, and many are faced with a choice.
Jobs are not like they used to be. Many once prized people facing skill-sets can’t quite be utilized in this new world of work.
Many of us are tasked to redefine ourselves and our identity at work.
For some, this might come easy; an exciting opportunity to try a different career path or work-persona that wasn’t previously accessible.
For others, this might feel deflating, as the wear of the past 6 months has cracked one’s sense of identity and stolen one’s purpose.
No matter where you are, recognize that redefining sits on a continuum. It’s not that you are either ready or not ready. Or that you are either capable or not capable. These polarities don’t exist in redefining oneself.
Rather, the action of redefining sits on a continuum— one in which YOU control the pace and the direction daily.
That may mean taking big steps forward, or little steps laterally. It may mean making big decisions quickly, or smaller choices slowly.
If you feel frustrated, confused, and/or defeated— you are not alone. And, these feelings are not forever.
Know that how you feel today will change.
The clarity or confusion you’re experiencing will shift.
The plan you set in motion will build and tangle and build again.
Re-defining is a fluid process. Each moment builds on the next. It cant be perfect— rather the opposite, really— a messy, convoluted, and slippery shifting process, with moments of beauty and moments of utter exhaustion.
Know that many fall on this continuum right now. You are not alone.
Aim for little shifts daily. Small shifts are progress.