I've hit the infamous sophomore slump with this project, although it's not for a lack of creative desire - I've managed to keep up on the photographic front and even squeezed in a few adventures. The photographs I've taken seem to continue to improve in quality, composition, and drama; I've just found it difficult to write when all of my thoughts have been mundane. The old adage "when it rains, it pours" applies to my situation, with multiple unexpected demands cropping up at work and overlaying on top of each other. Unlike previous assignments for which I was voluntold and just didn't know how to say no, these latest management tribulations fall squarely under my responsibility. I'm not one to shirk from duty, so I've patiently (to the tune of the last 9 months) managed situations, put out fires, and demonstrated the so-called je ne sais quoi of being a strong leader. And I will say, the last 9 months have been more mentally and emotionally exhausting than just about anything else I've undertaken.
Like anything else, I'm sure it will get better and I'll look back onto this period as a proving ground for my capabilities as a leader. In the meantime though, it just feels like another frivolous first world problem when compared against some of the tragedies occurring around the world. And yet, I'm so entrenched and exhausted by the day to day, I haven't had capacity to consider anything outside of my bubble.
I love travel and adventure and I don't blame my peers who quit their corporate jobs on a whim to pseudo-glamorously backpack around the world without a plan to "find themselves," but it's always been a little tongue-in-cheek for me when their posts to social media meticulously catalogue their journeys of escape and wanderlust at iconic places around the world, but their return to reality is silent. They went on an epic journey to build character and life skill, but they don't seem any different once they return. I may not have visited all 7 Wonders of the World in the last 3 months or quoted Tolkien to rationalize a lack of direction, but I have put my nose to the grindstone and managed unsavory situations that no one wants to deal with - the battle scars of leadership. Through that, I know I have the discipline, good judgment, and sheer grit to make it through any sort of hell. Not to mention, an intact savings account.
I did manage to take some vacation amidst the chaos to travel for a wedding and spent a few more days in Maryland and Washington, DC to draw inspiration from other great leaders in history.
Active Shooting Hours: 16 Review Hours: 4 Hours To Date: 271