I went to a conference last week in Houston, Texas that helped me understand my job better to be able to serve the amazing journalists at Mississippi Today. It also gave me a chance to do some reflecting on my career and where I think it is going. I looked at the good, the bad and the ugly. While it was tempting to start pointing fingers away from me when I started looking at my problems, I just stopped in my tracks. Sure, pointing figures away from yourself is less painful and easier — it’s really time consuming. And fixing every problem in the world is exhausting and not a good use of your time. So I am doing something easier and more effective: I am turning my finger around and pointing at the true cause of my problems — me. It’s easier to find solutions that way, too — you have one person to change. I will begin by accepting responsibility for EVERYTHING — even if it doesn’t seem like it is my fault. It’s something we all need to do: OWN our life, our career, our relationships. I will be honest, I have absolutely sucked at this for a long, long time. I would look inward but for all the wrong reasons. I had a person close to me show me how destructive that is. It’s time to understand there is something bigger than myself and act accordingly. I need to hustle and work. I need to own it.
Now if you will excuse me, I need do just that. I have some growing to do today.