Rick has been working a lot of hours lately due to some staffing changes within the police department. This has challenged me to step up my parenting game and get more organized with meals and schedules. I like to think I am pretty on top of if most days, but must admit by the end of the week I definitely feel like I am failing. One of the things we have been working on at home is realizing that it is okay to ask for help sometimes and step out of the box of believing that we must do everything ourselves. This has been true for Rick in his position as he has had to reach out to all of the departments around him to ask for help in coverage as there are currently two of them trying to cover 24/7. Although difficult for him, he has gotten great response and wonderful collaboration from the other departments. The same is true for our family, as we are starting to find our groove with the adjustment to different schedules. Everyone is stepping up and helping where they can, and it has become apparent that Jacob is going to be very much like his father. He has really enjoyed stepping up and cooking more, for which I will be forever grateful as this is my least favorite task.
These lessons of course also carry over to our work life as well. We spend a lot of time at work during our lifetime being frustrated with others because we are positive that we are working harder than everyone else. I always have to smile and pause when these thoughts cross my mind, and refocus on if this is self-inflicted due to my personal decision to not ask for help. Often the answer to that is yes for a million different reasons. Regardless, it is a victim mentality that we all fall into from time to time. The most important thing is: how do you reset that mentality to work with your team or peers to accomplish the goal? It may be splitting up the tasks and taking on the ones you love to help the team, or everyone taking a turn doing the task no one likes. Either way it is so much easier when we tackle problems and challenges together. So your assignment this week is to take one of those frustrations or barriers at work that is holding you or your team back and tackle it as a team. I guarantee you will be amazed by the results!
