9/24/2005

Glad the week is over

It's not the work that is exhausting, it is the navigating myself around in this new life.

I went from one extreme to another. From a very corporate and traditional marketing world in Canada to the center of the open source/wikified/folksonomy universe here in San Francisco. My wide-eyed wonder and country girl charm doesn't go far in The Valley of young geniuses. And, when I stumble (as I have quite a bit), I have to work really hard to not be so hard on myself, while trying to learn as fast as I can from each experience.

Lessons learnt this week:
  1. Shut up about shit you don't know about...you know better than that

  2. Stop trying so hard to 'fit in'...you won't, but that's okay, you'll find your own place here among the boy geniuses and the rest of the people who have seen it all

  3. Pick your battles...you can still have the notion to change the world, but you have to be smarter about it

  4. Admit when you are struggling with something...you can't be great at everything. Use your strengths, instead to find solutions

  5. Have patience with yourself...beating yourself up doesn't solve anything, learn and move on
Don't get me wrong. I love my work. I love California. I'm meeting amazing people and having a great time doing it. My blog stats are going through the roof (yay!) and people recognize me from my photo and from the mention of Ojos or Horsepigcow. Very positive, indeed.

But it's one of those things, you know... You can get 100 shining compliments, but then you'll get one critique and it will negate everything else that is said. You start to doubt yourself and the work you are doing. Or maybe it's just me... However, this is where Lesson #5 comes in: Stop beating yourself up! Ac-cen-tu-ate the positive. Learn from mistakes and move on.

I am attending Webzine 2005 tomorrow and Sunday (not the Love Parade, although that sounds like a hoot). There sounds like some interesting panelists and attendees, including a panel entitled, "Using the Internet to Kick the Man's Ass". How great is that?

posted by miss rogue at 9/24/2005  

2 Comments:

Lex said...

You rock. Cut yourself some slack, let yourself fail and remember - you aren't going to fit in. That's one of the most beautiful things about you - you stand out where ever you are!

You know as well as I do that success is not doubt or failure free - ever. The fact that you are doubting yourself just proves that what you are doing is matters to you. The people you work with don't expect you to be perfect, they don't even expect (or probably want) you to be them - so STOP IT! Shake it off, revel in the freedom of being in a new environment where you don't know everything with values that are more in line with your own.

And - if you insist on calling those around you geeks (which is acceptable) you'd best start calling yourself a biz-knob. Because in any successful business you need 3 things - a propeller head, a suit, and a money guy. Which one are you? (edit/delete at will ;->)

9/26/2005 09:57:45 AM  
miss rogue said...

Hey Lex,

Thanks for the comment. I know, I was feeling sorry for myself. Pretty gross. I'm over it now.

Oh...and I'm a geek, too, so it's PC. Actually, it's a good thing to be a geek here - it's a badge worn proudly. I guess I'm a biz-nerd AND a geek.

Attending the amazing Webzine over the weekend and spending time in SanFran really helped. Part of the issue is being stuck in suburb hell. You know me well enough to know that is just not a healthy thing for me. I need the energy of the city or else I start to get buggy.

xo

9/26/2005 08:41:45 PM  

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