Born Again Parent, Personality, Professional, Spirit

What gives me hope about my capacity to grow as a parent?

The fact I went from being an Amy Chua type of mom to being this kind of mom.

     

That’s what gives me hope.

What gives me hope about my capacity to grow as a person?

The fact I went from a time when I was so sad, I could not find anything funny -  to a time when I find myself so cheerful, I find everything funny*, whether it’s how Mangaloreans speak or nuances of pronunciation, voicemail transcriptions or life in the corporate world, fashion foibles or education missteps.

That’s what gives me hope.

What gives me hope about my capacity to change my attitude to things?

The fact I went from being terrified of phone conversations (because we got our first home phone when I was in my twenties), to developing an allergy to phones (because the phone rang night and day for a while in my life) to absolutely preferring the phone to any form of written communication for both personal and professional conversations today, and as a matter of fact, enjoy and have an endless capacity for phone chats with family and friends.

That’s what gives me hope.

What gives me hope about my capacity to grow professionally?

The fact I went from being a copywriter in India to being a Commissions Analyst in America. Then 3 years ago, I went from being a Commissions Analyst to becoming a Commissions Consultant and Xactly Implementer.  This year, I was able to broaden my skill base yet again, by undergoing Varicent training, thanks to Spectrum Technologies, the company I am currently contracting with.  I also leveled up in Excel as a Commissions Consultant at White Hat Security - graduating from pivot tables and vlookups to Sumifs, Advanced Filter macros and Conditional formatting  - becoming a textbook case of what happens when you hand someone interesting challenges, give them the freedom to innovate, and support them no matter how imperfect the outcome.

That’s what gives me hope.

What gives me hope about my capacity to grow spiritually?

The fact I went from being an atheist, to being fascinated and engaged by religion and all things spiritual, both intellectually and emotionally; and have become a meditator, as I narrate in my post Connected Minds.

That’s what gives me hope.

My life is richer for all this growth and all these changes. Now it’s your turn to ask yourself the questions I asked myself, and to write down your answers to those same questions.

Looking back, how have you changed?  Are there things you have eased up on?  Are there things which you were allergic to at one time (your son's video games, you daughter's clothing?) that you aren't allergic to anymore? Things that engage you which didn’t before?  Things which would rile you which do not anymore? Hard stands on things which have softened? Things you can do now you couldn’t before? Give it a whirl.....

What gives you hope about your capacity to grow as a parent?

………………………….(your answer goes here)

What gives you hope about your capacity to grow as a person?

………………………….(your answer goes here)

What gives you hope about your capacity to change your attitude to things?

………………………….(your answer goes here)

What gives you hope about your capacity to grow professionally?

………………………….(your answer goes here)

What gives you hope about your capacity to grow spiritually?

………………………….(your answer goes here)

See – change is not only possible, it is inevitable. When we take stock of how we’ve changed and grown, we can be confident we can do it again. The challenges may be different.  But our capacity for change has already been tested. So go forward confidently. Change.

How do you get going?  Where do you start? I don't know. Perhaps, the answers will come to you in the half light of the early morning, or in the shower, or driving to work.....all I can tell you is that they will.

Cheers to making hope your friend……and letting it take you forward….. ……M…..a Pearl Seeker like you.

P.S. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
*To be sure, I do not find the things I think about funny. The funniest pieces on my blog are surely A Short Stint in Advertising by Ajay Sachdev, a memoir about his MAA Communication days, A Facebook Faceoff by Jacinta Correa, and How to Say Goodbye Part 3, which contains one of the funniest office goodbye letters of all time (take that Ricky and Mindy).