OMG.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
You won’t find a better way to eat 4000 calories and not feel guilty or put yourself in a tryptophan-induced stupor.
Food, family, and last but certainly not least…
Giving thanks
The best thing about this holiday is for me that it forces me to stop complaining, and instead start noticing all the amazing things in my life.
Here are 10 things I am thankful to for this year, from a professional perspective.
1.? 1.?
I thrive on challenges. If it becomes too easy, I get bored quickly.
It’s at times like these that I have to stop complaining and accept that it’s not the way I would want it. If I don’t have ‘interesting’ situations to manage, how can I be creative and develop as a project manager?
2.? 2.?
I don’t like people. I’m not good with people.
It is very possible that I have a high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. It has taken me 20 years to be able to work well together with people. This journey is still ongoing.
Over the years I have been a manager and leader and it was the “problem” people who have provided me with the challenges I needed to improve my communication, facilitation, motivation, and communication skills.
They have motivated me to create systems to manage conflict and people in all situations. My experience with dealing with difficult people has led me to develop mechanisms for giving honest feedback, listening skills and facilitation strategies.
3.? 3.?
How boring would your life be if everything was known?
I am extremely grateful for my current position as project manager and senior system engineer. Although it has been a while since I did any real system engineering work, there are so many similarities to good management that it is uncanny. Glen Alleman may have commented here once that he believed that people would realize that project management was a system engineering discipline.
I am learning a lot from NASA and INCOSE about system engineering practices right now. I am also using Kanban with both my project teams, which is a great learning experience.
All of this makes me a better leader. It’s amazing to not know everything!
4.? 4.?
Over the past year, social media has changed my life.
I don’t know how to quantify the amount I’ve learned from people I have connected with through tools like Twitter or Facebook. There are many great articles linked. Have a question?? Ask your twitter friends or facebook friends.
I’ve met tons new people, shared tons great resources, and had a lot of fun.
I’m pretty certain that it’s 3 tons in total.
5.? 5.?
Last but not least.
I started blogging here in 2006 and I’m still amazed at how many people care about what I have to share about jack squat.
I am grateful for all of your comments and support. I am grateful for all of your support in creating training for new project managers.
If you’re reading this, it means that you have read the entire post. I am grateful for that.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Be quick, before you get into a calorie-induced coma. Leave a comment to share your gratitude!
