Learning To Swim, And Loving It

When I was little, my mom unknowingly took me to a more advanced swimming class than I was prepared to take. I was at the "wearing my Snoopy life jacket and toying with the idea of putting my head under the water" stage and my older classmates were at the "jumping into the deep end" stage. When I tried to explain this to the instructor, I must not have made a very convincing argument - she proceeded to pick me up and throw me in the deep end…Snoopy-less.

My first few weeks at Newfangled have at times felt like my inner child getting thrown into the deep end. And unlike my formative years, I don't have my mom to jump in after me, fully clothed. Being a read the instructions manual, gather all the facts before taking action kind of gal, it's been really challenging at times to be in situations I don't feel fully prepared to handle. For far too long, I've prided myself on my competency and ability to perform - not by any means undesirable qualities for the work place or life in general. But my desire to be able to "do things right the first time or not do them at all" has most likely prevented me from some truly exciting and enriching experiences.

I knew this position at Newfangled came with a pretty steep learning curve- something that simultaneously excited me and scared me to death. Up until about a month ago, my expert knowledge of cookies was limited to the chocolate chip variety and the occasional oatmeal raisin. Delicious knowledge, sure, but not exactly an ace up my sleeve when it comes to web development. But although taking the plunge has been overwhelming at times, I feel like I'm learning more at this job than I have at any previous one. There are times I have to tell myself to "step away from the prototype" because I enjoy what I'm doing so much I have a hard time leaving it at the office. And yes- I realize that makes me a huge nerd.

But mostly, I'm learning that a competency built on mastering new knowledge and skills is much more satisfying than resting on a competency of natural abilities and talents. So although it sometimes feels safer to ease into the shallow end step by step, armed with floaties, it can be much more fun to just close your eyes and jump in.