“Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about.”
– American technology executive, philanthropist and writer, Sheryl Sandberg.
Sometimes, I find myself questioning whether or not I am good at what I do for a living.
I think this is something that everyone goes through every now and then, and it could be about anything or everything.
Last week, I was recovering from a severe case of being under the weather.
I had the combo deal of flu and cough with a fever that came and went.
This unfortunately triggered my asthma attacks that left me not only gasping for air even when I was not doing anything, sounding like a purring cat because of the wheezing.
I am not sure whether or not it was due to the weather but I know quite a number of people had not been feeling well lately.
The doctor had prescribed me medication that would make me drowsy.
He told me I needed to rest after hearing how I had not caught a break from the busyness of work and life.
I was not too pleased with this because I had, and I still have, piles of stories that I have to clear, especially with the Kenyalang Journalism Award deadline at the end of this month.
Of course, I obliged and diligently took my medication like clockwork because I wanted to get better as soon as possible.
I could not do much whilst feeling groggy and uncomfortable. I slept for most part of the day and tucked myself in bed before 9 pm during this period.
Thanks to the fear and panic of not being able to complete everything on time, I found myself awake at 2 am or 3 am and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to do my work.
This brings me back to the days when I was a high school student and my routine revolved around going to sleep by 9 pm, then automatically waking up around 1 am to study and prepare for exams.
My high school friends used to find this strange but later understood that if they were to text or call me after 9 pm, I would only respond the next morning.
It is funny how when we were younger or still in school, we wanted to just get over or skip this part of life and become adults.
Now that we are adults, we long for the simpler time where our only worries were who would pick us up from school and whether the uniformed body meeting after school was still on.
This will be the third year I am participating in the Kenyalang Journalism Award.
I must admit that I do not have my game on or eyes on the prize like I did for the previous years.
Don’t get me wrong, I won two awards last year and one in the year before that and I would love to win again this year.
However, I found myself uncertain about what my game plan is for this year’s special reports.
I am not as structured or focused like I was before. I found myself second guessing whether what I am working on is good enough.
On top of that, I kept changing how I wanted to approach things and don’t get me started on the writer’s block I experienced when it came to actually writing.
Thankfully, I have close colleagues who have been nothing short of supportive and encouraging.
We would exchange ideas and ask for suggestions, even though we are technically competing against each other for submissions in the same category.
I appreciate the healthy competition and spirit of teamwork because at the end of the day, a win by one of us is a win for all.
Furthermore, it turns out I am not the only one who has been feeling uncertain and second guessing myself.
I am glad that my close colleagues and I are picking each other up and checking on each other’s progress despite some mini episodes of emotional meltdown here and there.
While not everyone at work is going to be your cup of tea, I think it is so important to find those who do not see you as a competitor or threat.
Once you have found them, it is equally important to value, cherish, and appreciate them.
Yes, people come and go, but that does not mean you should not hold onto and keep those who are good to and for you.
Work life in reality is nothing close to what is being depicted in TV series like The Ugly Betty or movies like The Devil Wears Prada.
Not everyone is trying to climb up the corporate ladder, some are trying to make a living for their families while others are trying to pay off their car or housing loans.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
