Working On A Quirky Graph

At what point do people realize that the people around them are generally amazing, without being jealous or intimidated? When did you realize the varying aspects of people’s personalities can be amazing without it taking away from what you are trying to accomplish? You see the negativity daily on all forms of social media. People trying to tear down the accomplishments of others by belittling who they are, how they look or what they’ve done. This behavior doesn’t add to their own accomplishments, but it seems they are trying to knock others down to what they perceive to be their own level.

As we wind down our time here, we had a meeting with our team and had the opportunity to play a trivia game that one of my coworkers designed on their own website, complete with standings, and double or nothing final questions. I was so impressed. Not just that they created it, but that I wasn’t aware of this part of their knowledge, this part of their skill set. There are several things people can do that we may never see on a regular basis. That quiet person in the corner who does their work and goes home may also be a closet chess champion with more wins under their belt than a chef with recipes. The engineer you connect with weekly regarding the job may be using their free time to knit baby hats to keep their fingers nimble after typing all day.

When I was younger it was often brought up that I would sometimes act immature, and I was always so frustrated by that. How could I be immature, I would fume, when I was given so much responsibility to grow others within their careers and their day to day jobs? It isn’t until recently that I realized how much growing each person has to do individually to overcome their opportunities. What I took as an insult I should have taken as an opportunity to determine what others suggested I do to get better. I could have taken their suggestions or tossed them, but the immaturity lies in the fact that I refused to look within to see an opportunity to be better. I would see my co-workers get promoted or accolades and stew, not understanding why I didn’t receive the same.

It isn’t until living life that I realize there was so much for me to learn, not just from how they got those accolades but how they acted to get there. I could have made myself better by reflecting in their awesomeness and growing myself. Who knows where I would be now if I had changed the way to approach setbacks and disappointments? And, while I can be disappointed in how I reacted, I cannot spend all my time living in the past, playing previous hurdles over in my mind in a loop to determine where I went wrong and how I ought to have acted. That won’t bring me peace of mind or help me become a better person. There should only be so much negativity you allow into your day before your mind cuts it off and immediately plays your favorite song.

As I get ready to separate my daily life from these amazing individuals, all I can do is pause and turn my face up into these amazing feats, accomplishments and personalities and hope that some of their awesomeness has reflected back on me, and work to incorporate some of their best bits into the person I continue to evolve to be.