New Boss Part 3: Give It a Rest- Not Taking It Personally

Still coughing from a cold I caught at a bowling alley in Bloomington, Illinois the night before Thanksgiving… I think it is time for a rest.

It is now so well into the New Year, my planner is a mess and my only resolution (of like, 15) that I remain devoted to is to use just ONE COLOR of pen in it. That is how it goes with crazy lives these days.  We should really only find one thing to improve upon on ourselves. I am going with pen color this month.  Next month I may choose paperclip varieties.

A young colleague was upset today because she had made a mistake in her work that has a (pretty small in the scheme of things) ripple effect.  I told her I had made so many regrettable mistakes in the last 24 hours, I could barely count them.

1. Rather than get up and work out and meditate to start my day, I laid in bed for an extra 20 minutes and watched an Ellen DeGeneres Youtube video of her making fun of millennials who can’t dial a rotary phone or read a clock face (highly recommended).
2. I threw a notebook at my BF when he tried playing the devil’s advocate with me. I had just told him I really can’t understand or appreciate my new boss. I probably slammed a door too.
3. I gave unasked for advice to my adult son about his finances.
4. I raised my voice a teeny bit with new boss when I realized everything I care about doing in life in my old job description went away with her hiring because she is an engineer who doesn’t care about or even notice emotional intelligence.
5. I skipped dinner to vent and write this blog post instead of preparing my body in a healthy way for tomorrow.

BUT- tomorrow is another day, and I will try to focus on one tiny thing I can do to improve myself.  My planner will be color coordinated, even if I am less organized than I want to be.  And I will have a sense of humor, too. My boss doesn’t even understand jokes, but I will!

*PS – Thank you to my faithful reader Mark who gave me some great boss tips: Steer clear of her whenever possible; don’t try to outshine her; don’t take any of it personally; be patient, attentive and friendly during meetings; and just do things for her ahead of time so that she doesn’t bug you.  The last one is hard, bc she really asks a lot.  But I am on the road to recovery with lots of humor planned.  Thanks Mark!!