The stage you’re in—of life, business, schooling, parenthood, you name it—can have such an incredible impact on how you view everything.
I’m originally from Seattle, in western Washington state. In case you’ve never heard, it rains a lot. Well, that’s partially a myth: we get a lot of days of rain, but the total volume of rain is actually pretty average for many US cities.
Anyways, growing up rain was almost always a nuisance. The drips slowly leaking into your shoes, the perpetual dampness of fall and winter, the endless gray skies and low clouds and near-requirement to carry a rain jacket.
These days I live in the desert southwest of Arizona, and in just the few years I’ve been here it’s wild how my outlook on rain has changed. I love the creosote smell when it starts sprinkling. I get excited thinking about how overcast skies will make a Saturday cozier. I’ll comment to my friends, “hey, at least it’s good that it’s raining!” I would never say that to my friends back home.
My current season of life has completely changed the filter through which I view the weather. When rain is so rare and hot days are the norm, a quick sprinkle feels like a gift. Take that quick sprinkle back to Seattle, and it becomes an irritant, something to hope you don’t deal with.
Lately I’ve been trying to get into a habit of better engagement on LinkedIn: more commenting, more original posts, generally making myself and my company more visible. I’m honestly a pretty shy and self-conscious person, so to me this feels daunting. You mean I have to put myself out there? Daily? And talk to people I don’t know?
I’m realizing that, just like how I see rain in Washington versus Arizona, this is all about my stage of life and filter on the world.
Tomorrow: why the hell I’m talking about rain and LinkedIn in adjacent paragraphs.