“After enlightenment, chop wood.” That’s a saying by a probably long forgotten Buddhist. His saying lives on though.
The truism that success brings it’s own set of problems is very viable. I recently came across a corollary. Extended success without failure leads one to believe one is incapable of failure. We all know this is NOT the case. I recently fell into this trap, though a bit of arrogance and complacency didn’t help my cause either.
It wasn’t so long ago that I would’ve pitched a fit that only a Godzilla-sized baby could’ve matched. I think I handled things a little big better this time. I actually appreciated the situation. I stepped back, took a long deep breath and dove back in to correct the situation. I would be remissed if I didn’t say that I was embarrassed. People were counting on me when I stated that I was ready. I wasn’t. The people whom I told I was waiting for were actually waiting on me when the time came. There was egg on my face. Lots of it. Then at one point, I was told by one particular person that I seemed defensive to him. I thought to myself? Really? I don’t think I’d come across as defensive, though I was little agitated and annoyed at myself. I thought that I was doing my best to outwardly show my diligence and embarrassment at my fumble. Then I came to the realization that he was right. I didn’t want to admit openly that I’d messed up, so I did it in a circuitous way by being defensive. It’s like when you were a kid and someone showed you your very apparent mistake. You didn’t say, “Yes I was wrong.” What you did was start attacking the person who pointed it out to you. You linked your mistake to your own identity. What was simply a mistake, has now turned into someone criticizing your being and the merit of your existence. This was not the original intention of the person who brought it to light even though, a bit of Schadenfreud might have been involved.
I’ve discovered three facts that need to be addressed from this whole situation. First, what I think I’m conveying is not always what others see what I’m conveying. Second, I need to keep in mind that my work is not the core of my being nor is it with others. Third, I’m getting too comfortable at work.
In the case of the first, I need to simply state the facts at hand with as little emotion tainting the situation as I can. I will give facts, and leave the embarrassment and self-annoyance to myself. I must also be conscious not to link other people’s emotions to the quality of their work. These things will be difficult to do. I will endeavour to keep these things in mind at all times or as long as my feeble memories will allow me.
For the second problem, I must appreciate that I will make mistakes from time to time. It doesn’t make me a horrible human being to make mistakes. It is a part life. I cannot change it. I will readily admit to mistakes made on my part and endeavour to correct them in a reasonable amount of time.
The last problem? I don’t know how to easily ameliorate this particular problem. Long periods of familiarity will sometimes bring about complacency. I think the best and only way to combat this is to be aware of it. Sometimes the mundane everyday routines that need to be completed gets lower priority for those more exciting and stimulating. I need to intersperse them with something interesting.