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Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Action

Wouldn't it be nice if I wasn't a victim?  If these things didn't happen to me or even because of me but if they just happened and I could respond well?  If rather than hating myself for my perceived failures I could immediately tackle the problem head-on and take action?

I tend to be the most active when there is time to be excited.  To envision and plan and create without someone looking over my shoulder.  But in the midst of unspoken pressures and thankless effort it's hard to take the challenge as that, hard not to lay down and curl myself around my injuries.

I tell my clients to give themselves credit for the steps taken on the bad days.  The tiny, inconsequential, barely observable steps.  I tell them there's a certain kick-your-own-ass boot camp mentality to it.  I say we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.  And yet I myself struggle with that so much.  I see the failure, form the conclusion and wish nothing more than to retreat until the backlash has calmed down and I can lift my head from the sand.

But today, because of all the pressures that be, I took some steps.  And no, of course not everything is solved- not even remotely.  But the simple fact that I could possibly encounter a new and novel experience definitely made me think.  What if instead of playing the victim I took action and responded- what mountains would I move then?

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Perfect Timing

It's been happening to me a lot lately- the universe coming in and telling me (in unequivocal terms): "I've got this."

Why did I change my entire life around, leave a decade-long relationship and finally take that huge plunge of moving and starting over NOW?  Because I had exactly what I needed in place to be able to do that: the support system, the courage and the fierce self love (all three of which were lacking in the past).

Why did I get this apartment- the one I'm sitting in right now as I type this- at the exact right time to allow me to get off of my friend's couch after only a couple of weeks?  Once again, exactly what I needed- exactly right time.

And why this week, when my current employer threw an unacceptable demand my way did I find myself lining up enough yoga classes to allow me to quit?  Once again- perfect timing.

I've been seeing it everywhere I look lately.  In the people I find myself constantly surrounded by who are constantly saying exactly what I need to hear.  In the course of each and every day as I'm reminded of lessons I desperately need to learn.  In the opportunities that crop up at exactly the precise moment I need them.  The universe has got me, big time.  I have everything I need, exactly when and how I need it.

And I think, and this is the lesson here: I always have.  I just never noticed before.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Miracles

It's something from the book I just read- a simple concept, but a profound one.  The idea that everyday is a miracle.  Regardless of what happens, regardless of how you feel.  That in the big picture realm every single day is a miracle.

The thought first occurred to me when I sat down to meditate this morning.  The sunlight reflecting off the freshly fallen snow hit me in the face illuminating not only the space behind my closed eyes but also covering my whole face with warmth.  There in the presence of so much cold, winter wasteland was sunlight, water, earth and air.  All present, all blessed.  And, in that particular moment, all for me.

I was acutely aware of it as I sat and breathed and chanted and the feeling didn't leave me once I got up to go about my day.

It didn't leave me when I was sitting in the doctor's office receiving some bad news that overtly spelled out my need to change some of my behaviors (diet-wise).  In fact, it made the message that much more overt: why not treat everyday as a miracle by taking better care of my physical body (my temple)?

It didn't leave me when I got to work and conversed with individuals who are working on their own life changes, their own self-care, their own souls.  Another life-changing act that I perform everyday, often without even thinking about it.

It didn't leave me even as I received a concrete kick in the ass at our company staff meeting and noticed my initial response, something that I would have previously dismissed, and identified it as my intuition (my gut).  And as I marveled at how much more comfortable I was in listening to the internal, non-logical voice I felt grateful for how much I've changed: what a completely different person I've become.  I can remember a time in the not-too-distant past when I would have responded to such news as a victim: felling wronged and hurt and powerless.  And now, because of all this work I've been doing on myself, the answer was clear and direct: I deserve better.  Period.  No victim mindset, no woe-is-me.  Just clear sight and motivation to change.

It's something that's relatively new for me: reacting to bad news with clarity and proactive identification.  Seeing the terrible situation as a needed opportunity to change.  Almost looking forward to the challenge.

I've been pretty good at seeing the miracles on the good days: the sunny days, the happy days, the great days.  It's kind-of new to see the miracle on the bad days, the emotional days, the ass-kicking days.  But damned if it doesn't prove the point better than any of those great days ever could: EVERYDAY is a miracle. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Panicking Towards Zen

I've been a wreck all day- an irredeemable wreck.  Anxious, irritable, scatter-brained like there's no tomorrow.  And I've been trying really, REALLY had not to judge myself for it.  That old reaction is still ingrained- the ego still has so many negative things to say about this new emotional version of me.  And I've been ignoring it for the most part.

But then I got feedback from another source, a more trusted one (Thanks, Jen!).  A friend of mine who is going through a lot of the same transformations, studying the same course I am on, asked me why this year was so different than last year (since I've been through this panic-inducing thing before).  Why, she asked, was last year so much easier than this year?

We bounced a few ideas around- last year didn't go so well so I had more reason to be worried.  Last year was my first time so I didn't know about the number of things that could go wrong.  Last year I was a little cocky and naive and I got hit pretty hard for it.

But still, I thought, aren't I supposed to be handling things better now?  Isn't this journey that I'm on designed to make me calmer?  More accepting?  Better able to weather life's storms?  Isn't that the whole point?

And then- that perfect timing thing again- a friend of mine from teacher training posted an article about the ways in which I've been feeling lately with the title "15 Uncomfortable Feelings That Indicate You Are On The Right Track".  (Thanks, Tracey!!)  I had every one of these- literally every single one.  Anxious, restless, irritable, fearful, confrontational, dissatisfied, lost, exhausted- all of it.  And that got me thinking: what if there's nothing wrong with me?  The revolutionary question that turns your perspective 180 degrees.

What if me being that anxious was just me doing the best I could do?  What if working my ass off like a lunatic for a week- regardless of what a hot mess I was throughout the course of it- was just me being catalyzed to get everything done?  What if I was feeling that crazy simply because I was allowing myself to?  Without fighting it, without hiding it, without judging myself for feeling it- what's if that's why I was so anxious?  Not because I wouldn't have been that anxious anyway, but because I've just stopped hiding it.

I used to judge myself for being emotional.  Get angry- really, really angry- at myself for crying.  Say terrible, hurtful statements about myself for being angry with someone (for something I really should have been angry at them for).  Look at myself when I was not the epitome of logical, intellectual superiority and just hate myself for it.  That's who I used to be.

That's not who I am anymore.  I'm emotional.  I'm messy.  I'm loud and passionate and I speak up when people piss me off.  I value intuition way more than intellect and I see god in everything.  I look at people I used to judge so harshly for being so emotional and think 'I want to be more like them'.  And I cry all the goddamned time.

Of course I was way more anxious this year- I'm a completely different person this year!  I handled this situation very, very differently than I did last year.  I let myself feel everything I was feeling without trying to talk myself out of it.  And yeah, maybe it seemed unhealthy- who likes having panic symptoms?  But maybe that's exactly what I needed to feel.  Maybe a hot mess is exactly what I needed to be.  Maybe this, like so many other situations I've encountered and will encounter in the future, is exactly right?

I'd certainly like to think so...

Friday, January 29, 2016

Real-Life Angels

I've been through this process before, many times now.  And it's eerily familiar in so many ways.  The panicked way of living with late nights, early mornings and little sleep in between.  The frenzied feeling of never having enough hours in the day.  The self-empowering little talks followed by the defeated hopelessness.  The sinking sensation in your skin, muscles, bones and even breath.  Like even your body is closing in on you. 

But here's what I've never experienced before: angels coming to my rescue.  Laughing, joking, singing, snarling, complaining and insanely validating angels helping me by doing the work I think I should be able to do myself (and have always had to do myself in the past because no one else was there.)  There were two of them today and they came without specific request.  Without being told by someone else, without being compelled by money or a desire to show off for someone who might grant them position or status in payment.  They came because they genuinely believe in team work- the kind of selflessness so often advocated but so rarely seen in real life.

And as I worked my insanely long work day with them there keeping my insanity at bay with their constant stream of ridiculous jokes, loving teases, sing-along-to-pandora loveliness I realized: angels do exist.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Celebrate the Small Things- The Triumphant Return!

HUGE thanks to our hosts Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner and Katie!

Oh my goodness!  So much is going on, I barely know where to start!  First off, I'm sorry to anyone who enjoys hearing from me from having been so absent for so long.  A LOT has been going on outside of the blog-o-sphere and while it's all good it will be made even better by me talking about it here and hearing from other awesome folks so I'm going to make a concerted effort to get on here more often to share the love with you all.

Now, the celebrations!

1)  I'm going to be a presenter at a conference this fall!  A couple of months ago we got an e-mail from corporate inviting us to submit a proposal to this organization for inclusion in a professional conference this fall.  I think I may have been the only person in the whole company who actually took the time to draft a proposal but I was super psyched about it.  Several weeks passed and I'd kind-of given up hope.  Then, last Monday, I got the e-mail: my proposal was accepted!  

In October I will be giving a presentation to folks in my field on the topic of co-occurring disorders.  I've never been a professional presenter before even though I've been to a ton of these and to say I'm thrilled about it would be a massive understatement.  Needless to say, I've got a TON of work to do before October but that doesn't remove my nearly head-asploding excitement about this.  Yay!

2)  I signed up for a year-long training to become a certified yoga teacher!  I've been looking for something for a while to help me get in touch with my spiritual side and while I've always been attracted to the traditions of meditation and mindfulness I haven't engaged in much formal training.  Well, a friend of mine is taking this training and she said it's changing her life so I contacted the instructor and got some more info and it sounded like EXACTLY what I've been searching for.  So I signed up, made my deposit and am fully registered to start in a couple of weeks.  I anticipate this being nothing short of transformational for me and I'm so eager to get started I can barely contain myself- it's gonna be one crazy, wonderful journey!

3)  Still running!  I've been doing this all along but race season started again in earnest a few months ago so I've been doing tons of 5Ks, a 5 miler, my first-ever 10-miler and I signed up to do my 2nd ever half marathon in July (which happens to be on the first anniversary of my first race)!  I'm thrilled that running has become and remains such an important part of my life and I look forward to all that will come from this.

Big stuff in the life of Bev, and excited to hear what's going on with all of you!
Celebrate The Small Things Linky:


1.Lexa Cain2.Fiction and Film
3.Writing Off the Edge4.Kidbits
5.TheCyborgMom6.Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
7.My Inner Geek8.Eclectic Alli
9.Queendsheena10.Kim Graff
11.Intentional Insights with S. Kelley Harrell12.Constantine
13.Viklit14.My Miracle Life
15.Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams16.My Creatively Random Life
17.Jeff Chapman's Writing18.Shells Tales and Sails
19.Lara Lacombe20.TF Walsh
21.Caring for my Veteran22.dcrelief
23.Life, Yoga and Other Adventures24.The Unwavering Part of Me
25.About myself, by myself26.Suzanne Furness
27.My Write Spot28.Elizabeth Seckman
29.Avalon30.Cherdo on the Flipside
31.Writing By Marilyn32.My Baffling Brain
33.Planet Kimberly34.Shah Wharton
35.Mere Joyce36.Just Get It Written
37.Tyrean's Writing Spot38.Kathleen S. Allen
39.Black Coffee and Cigarettes40.Stephen tremp
41.Linda Kay42.Victorian Scribbles
43.Alexia Chamberlynn44.Dandilyonfluff
45.Curious as a Cathy46.Tanya Miranda
47.Teresa Morse48.Catherine Ensley
49.God, Entertainment, & Annoying Things50.Ann - A Friend of Jesus 2013
51.These Are My Monkeys52.Precious Monsters
53.Its a Snap54.Carole Anne Carr
55.Special Teaching At Pempi's Palace56.Square Pegs
57.Sandy's Space58.The Beveled Edge
59.Lisa Manifold

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Recap (A.K.A. Where I've Been Since October)

I want to start this entry by apologizing to all of the truly wonderful folks who used to follow this blog and have likely wondered where on earth I have disappeared to over the past few months.  I fully admit that I flat-out fell off the face of the planet and if any/all of you gave up on me I completely understand and do not blame you.  In fact, if no one ends up reading this entry because of that I get that, too.  It’s mostly for me anyway.  However, should you be one of those truly wonderful folks mentioned please accept my apologies and believe me when I say that I plan to re-earn your attention by visiting you all in the very near future.  It will take me a while to catch up on everything you’ve all been up to, but it will be time well spent.

Now, as to where I’ve been for the past few months (which also serves as a general re-cap for the past year which is what this entry is all about, anyway).  Ah-hem… (*Pauses, considers, re-starts*)  Actually, wait.  Let me back up a second.

In January, I had two pretty huge goals occupying my thoughts.  One was personal and one was professional.  I’m going to start with the personal since work is a whole other category altogether.

Karate

This year was the year of my 3rd Dan test (3rd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do for anyone who hasn’t been here before).  I trained for it harder than I had ever trained for anything before.  I started working out at the gym 4 to 5 days a week, I was practicing forms at least three times a week and anytime I wasn’t actively practicing something I was thinking about it.  I breathed it for months and months.  This is partly why I performed as well as I did in our home tournament in April.
It’s also why when I finally took the test in June I did as well as I did.  I don’t want to say that the test was easy because it really wasn’t.  But I will say it was significantly less difficult than what I was anticipating and what I had trained for.  I was still proud of myself, certainly.  But because I had trained so hard and because it had occupied so much of my thoughts for so long I was sort-of let down when it ended.

I woke up the day after feeling really depressed and the nagging question that sparked this feeling was “Now what?”  After such an epic accomplishment, what do I do now?  My 4th dan test is 4 years away- I couldn’t just wait around for another 4 years.  And that had been such a focal point in my life that I felt lost with it finished.  Now what?

The answer is what leads to the number two big accomplishment on my list- the one I didn’t see coming.

Running

I relayed those feelings and that question to a friend of mine.  This friend was and is a runner.  So he suggested to me, upon hearing me express this, that I do the same.  It was a very simple question: “Why don’t you try running?”

I had an answer for him.  “I’m not a runner,” I said.  I’d always hated running.  I mean, I joined the track team in high school and hated it so much that I quit in a single week.  That was how much I hated running.
“Well, yeah,” he said, “but aren’t you different now?”  Yeah, I guessed I was.  “And weren’t you just saying that you trained harder for this than you ever had for anything in your life?”  Yes, I certainly had.  “And aren’t you in the best shape you’ve ever been in?”  Well, I guessed so.  “So it might be way easier for you now.  You should try it,” he concluded.  I didn’t really have any good arguments against that line of logic.

So I tried it.  One day at the gym, after one of my regular classes, I hopped on the treadmill just to give it a try.  I ran a full 5k without losing my breath.  All that training really had amounted to something.

So I started signing up for races- 5ks, in the beginning.  The first one was hard because I wasn’t used to running outside.  But it was also REALLY fun.  So I started running outside and I signed up for more.  Then I signed up for my first 10k.  That was even more fun.  Then, finally, the huge unexpected goal: the half marathon.
I trained harder for it than I had for my 3rd Dan test.  It was at least a hundred times more difficult than my 3rd Dan test.  And I was and am more proud of myself than I have ever been before in my entire life.

I had never dreamed that I would be a runner.  In fact, it still sometimes baffles me that I am one now.  But having run my first half marathon and almost immediately concluded that a full marathon absolutely must be crossed off my bucket list I can’t really argue with the label anymore.  It was my biggest accomplishment of 2014, by far.

Work

This is the other area of my life where I ended up accomplishing an unexpected goal.  I started out the year as a counselor and leader of an intensive outpatient program for mental health.  I loved my job almost from the get go.  It wasn’t the work itself, at first.  It was my amazing co-workers. It was the level of freedom I had.  The money certainly helped.  But over time, it became about the work itself.  For the first time in my entire career I felt like I was really using my education (which is a GREAT feeling when you’re still paying monthly installments on said education.)

I am now a clinical supervisor in charge of all the drug and alcohol counselors in the office.  That was the unexpected part.

One staff meeting, out of nowhere, my boss announced that she was leaving and would be going to another office.  My boss had been the clinical supervisor as well as the site director (the latter position was taken over by my favorite co-worker.)  This left her morning drug and alcohol (henceforward referred to as D&A) intensive outpatient group open.  (I’ve been leading the evening mental health group all year.  The schedule has not been ideal, in many ways.)  So I went for it.

I didn’t actually know, in all honesty, when I applied for the position that it included not only the morning group but also the clinical supervisor role.  I found out right in the middle of the interview.  I surprised myself when I said, with the utmost confidence, I can do that.

‘Could I really?’ I questioned myself.  The answer was yes, I really thought I could.  I have more experience in D&A than I do in mental health.  I’ve had lots of interns I supervised over the years.  My organizational skills are good to enough to put me in charge of chart audits and things of that nature.  Yes- I really could.
I told them this in the interview.  I got the job.  I never saw it coming.

After years and years and years of feeling stagnant and frustrated with my chosen career I had started a new job and been promoted in less than a year.  Finally all my hard work- which I have been doing all this time- paid off.  It’s an amazing feeling.

(I don't have any pictures for this one, sorry!)

The only downside to this promotion- which I do genuinely believe I will be truly good at once I actually have the time to do it- is that they couldn’t find someone to take over my evening group right away.  So for the past two months I’ve been working 12 to 13 hour days… 4 days a week… every week.  In the morning I go in and run the D&A group.  Then I see individual clients and hold supervision with the other clinicians.  At some point I run home to walk my dog and then race traffic to get back in time for the evening group.  On Fridays, even though I’m usually well over my 40 hours by then, I go in from 9 to 3 to do individual sessions and try to catch up on all the paperwork I’ve fallen behind on during the week.  Then I leave early to get to the one karate class I can still do with my insane schedule.  And thus why I’ve fallen off the face of the planet.

I’m not happy that both reading and writing have fallen by the wayside in the face of work commitments and running.  But that is, obviously, what happened.  I am hoping, however, that that will change soon.
They hired someone to take over my evening group.  He starts next week.  I’ll be sticking to the old schedule for a while until he’s trained and comfortable running the group on his own.  But I’m hopeful that won’t be long.  Once he takes over I should be able to keep most evenings free.  I’ll be able to go back to karate on Tuesday nights.  I’ll be able- and this is the amazing part- to come home before 10pm most weeknights.  I hope and expect that I’ll be able to run and read and write again during those evenings.  That would be miraculous.

Because 2014 has held so many unexpected developments for me I’m not even going to bother to set goals for 2015.  I have some general ideas of what I’d like to see happen- the above mentioned activities, of course.  And if I happen to run a full marathon, or publish a story, or kick ass in a karate tournament that would all be great.  But for now I’m content to bask in the thrill of all this year has brought my way.  It’s been the best one I’ve had in a while.

Happy New Year.  And my best to all of you in 2015.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Celebrate the Small Things- It's the End of May Already?!?

Thanks to our host Viklit and co-hosts Diana Wilder, L.G. Keltner, Cyborg Mom and CaffeMaggieato!

This week I'm Celebrating:

Bev the Radio Star  On Sunday a co-worker of mine and I were guest speakers on Recovery Radio, a local program that talks about the services we offer through our company.  The host interviewed us on the topic of mental health and acceptance and we spoke about the programs we run, how people can get help, and the realities of living with a mental illness.  It was way more anxiety-producing than I originally thought it would be and I was super nervous at the outset but by the end I was actually having fun and even thought that it ended too soon.  All-in-all not a bad result for my very first time on the radio!

A Day Off  This past Monday was Memorial day for us here in the states and while we didn't go away or have the typical cook-out we did celebrate not being at work by sleeping late, eating pancakes and binge-watching season 2 of Sherlock.  Benedict Cumberbatch + Martin Freeman + Pancakes = Heaven!

Progress with Breaking  So, as I've been talking about pretty much non-stop since a few months ago, my 3rd Dan test is coming up in- wait for it- 3 weeks!!!  Ahhhh!!!!  One of the things I'm most anxious about is breaking boards.  Of all the things I have a mental block about that's arguably the one with the worst, most seemingly-indestructible barrier.  As such, getting through the breaks on live boards prior to the test so that I know that I can do it is hugely important.  Well, last week I did my most difficult break (a 360 degree spinning back kick) successfully on live boards three times in a row.  Granted, for the test I need to break through three boards with that kick (cause it's a power break), but still- progress.  Of course now I only have three weeks left to get that kick down, but I'm focusing on the positive side of things for now.

That's it for me, what about you?


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Friday, May 23, 2014

Celebrate the Small Things- May 23rd

Happy Friday and thanks to our host and co-hosts Viklit, Diana Wilder, L.G. Keltner, Cyborg Mom and CaffeMaggieato!  You guys rock!

This week I'm celebrating:

Have I mentioned how much I love karate?  This past Sunday I went to a really awesome training where I gathered with friends from my gym, masters from other gyms and other students to learn and practice drills.  They covered everything from some basic hand drills that open doors to a billion cool techniques to pressure points and their relation to the elemental system to the history of Okinawan karate and where all the different martial arts systems derived, how they spread, and how they developed.  It was serious information overload but so, SO much fun.  I keep coming back to the conclusion that really awesome people are connected with this and the more exposure I get to them the more I realize what fantastically good company I'm in.  It's the best community I've been in since college and I just love these folks.

And have I mentioned how much I love my co-workers?  Yes, I know I have- but I feel the need to say it again.  They are just so smart, so supportive and so wonderful to be around.  Group supervision is my favorite part of every workweek and I don't know what I'd so without it.

And last but certainly not least, 3 day weekend!  Woo-hoo!  I must say I was very surprised by how quickly this came up (a full week early) but I'll take a long weekend wherever I can get it. 

What about all of you lovely folks?


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