In Pursuit of Progress — January Lessons
In January, I had a bit of an eye-opener at work. You see, I used to consider myself to be smart, but I’ve got this incredibly brilliant manager whom every time I talk to, I feel like I’m back in school trying to keep up with the smartest kid in class. (I have the chance to insert a pun here but i opt to pass, lol). What struck me about him was not just his vast knowledge but also his confidence. He could talk about the most complicated stuff in a way that made it sound simple — cloud, technology, business, leadership, etc. And here I was, struggling to string together a coherent sentence without tripping over my words.
So, I decided to take a page out of his book — not copy him, but emulate him. I figured if I could brush up on my cloud computing skills and work on my confidence, I might actually be able to hold my own in any off the cuff conversation. I needed one thing — a combination of confidence, courage & eloquence while still being humble. But let me tell you, building confidence isn’t easy, especially when you are naturally shy like me. I began making a conscious effort to maintain a prolonged eye contact and being able to respond comfortably with my normal Nigerian accent (because he speaks with an American accent). It’s a work in progress, but they say you’ve gotta fake it till you make it, right?
On top of all that, January taught me a thing or two about grace — you know, those unexpected blessings that come out of nowhere. Consider the case of Debbie on twitter, for instance. A single tweet transformed her life from grass to grace, proving that sometimes miracles do happen when you least expect them. Masha Allah. May the Almighty Allah send grace towards us this year & beyond, and when that grace finds us, may we not be blinded by vanity. Ameen.
And then there’s the value of persistence. I had been banging on about something at work for over six months with no luck, but I refused to throw in the towel. Turns out, my persistence paid off, and I finally got what I wanted. The individual granting my request said to me that ‘you’re rugged, any other person would have given up by now’. It then dawned on me that perhaps he had been stalling me intentionally to assess whether my request was a genuine pursuit of professional advancement or merely an attempt to shirk responsibilities. Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of nagging, I almost felt like young Sheldon.
But it’s not all about big wins. Sometimes, it’s the little things that truly make a difference — like learning how to upload a video to Google Drive or mastering the art of blind copying emails. It might not seem significant, but trust me, it comes in handy. I was delighted to have learned these skills, especially since I needed to upload a video link for a program application. While I initially considered using YouTube, I ultimately opted for Google Drive. New knowledge, enhanced privacy!
Again, I realized the importance of owning your story. We all have our unique experiences and lessons to share, and there’s no one else who can tell your story better than you. So, here’s to embracing our imperfections and sharing our journey with the world — one awkward conversation at a time.
Still in the midst of January’s whirlwind, I found myself reflecting on the complexities of human interactions. A particular incident at work involving a colleague and her line manager opened my eyes to the delicate balance between ‘understanding’ and ‘expectation’. Both parties were caught in a misunderstanding, resulting to passive frustration and tension. In a way, I see both sides, and It served as a poignant reminder that while we may hope for understanding and leniency from others towards our personal situation, we can’t always expect it, especially in the fast-paced professional environment where everyone is preoccupied with their own concerns. They both reacted from an emotional place which made me cringe a bit. I was just an observer.
Similarly, back in December my sister’s remark about my inconsiderate tendency to always approach situations with logic rather than emotions prompted me to make a subtle new year’s resolution to embrace a more empathetic perspective. Yet, fast forward to January when her boyfriend upset her and she was ranting, I casually joined her and said ‘Ashe bashi da hankali’ but she retorted with ‘kece baki da hankali!’. My attempt to empathize was met with an unexpected resistance. I was confused. You really cannot win with relationship people. It was a funny reminder that understanding someone’s emotional needs isn’t always straightforward, particularly in the realm of relationships where nuances abound.
As I continue to learn and grow, I am reminded that true understanding often lies in embracing the complexities of human emotion and behavior, even when it means stepping outside my comfort zone.
Thank you for reading. I hope to be more consistent on this blog this year. It feels more like a diary than a blog ? Lol.
Love as always,
Benazir
