Musings from the CU Suite

Apr 09, 2013

Get over it? No, embrace it.

Written by Anthony Demangone

Did you ever have one of those days that caused to you to doubt your choice to to manage - to lead people?

I can hear some of you out there...yes, I have those days.  They are called weekdays. 

In all seriousness, everyone has those moments. Moments of doubt. Or moments of frustration.

It could be tempting to tell you to simply get over it. But that minimizes the struggles that all of us will encounter along the way.  And telling someone who hits a rough patch to "get over it" is akin to telling a four-year-old to get over an earache.

Seth Godin saw a different path in his recent post, Just The Good Parts.

You don't get to just do the good parts. Of course. In fact, you probably wouldn't have chosen this path if it was guaranteed to work every time.

The implication of this might surprise you, though: when the tough parts come along, the rejection and the slog and the unfair bad breaks, it makes sense to welcome them. Instead of cursing or fearing the down moments, understand that they mean you've chosen reality, not some unsustainable fantasy. It means that you're doing worthwhile, difficult work, not merely amusing yourself.

And there you have it.  

The next time you hit that rough patch, remember this: Those patches are part of the job.  You won't see them in job descriptions, or job advertisements.  But they are there.

So embrace the challenges. They let you knew you've arrived. That you're needed. 

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