SOAKING UP ....

I'm suffering a bit of Blogger's Block as I dont just want to write about food and eating every day. After all, its not THAT big a deal. Everybody does it (eat food) every day and honestly you can only analyse it and carry on about it so much before .... YAWN!!

On Saturday I had this idea for a blog topic only I've decided to turn it into many ideas and pick the themes or things that really matter to me. Its based on the idea of "soaking up" something around you or stuff that influences you, interests you or inspires you. My focus is to get away from food and exercise for these posts.

I've decided to start with "work." A challenging topic but in my usual "glass half full" outlook ... here goes.

When I soak up work I focus on the good stuff that happens there and the good stuff that comes from the work I do.

I like my job. I dont love the work but I like the people I work with, the people I report to, the people who report to me and my many and varied clients. I manage the asset and capital programs for a small government agency. If its to do with bricks, mortar, property and anything related, I do it with a tiny team of highly skilled and adaptable people.  In any given day I'll wear many hats as I project manage capital works, negotiate leases, procure various contracts, manage and support my staff, answer correspondence and prepare numerous briefings, plan and monitor the annual program for capital works and the list goes on. I cant complain that my days are repetitive and predictable, nor am I scratching for work to keep busy LOL.

I love the social aspect of work (surprise, surprise) and I take the time to talk to people and get to know them. Every Monday morning my team meets to talk about our diaries for the week and we always start with an account of our weekends. That time spent sharing our weekend activities is as important as sharing what we'll be doing that week.

I always try to stay positive and calm at work but when something gets me going I let it out (yes there is some swearing at times) and I encourage my staff to do the same. Better to vent and get it out than keep it to yourself and let it fester. Release the angst and then move on, I say. My door is always open to anybody needing to get stuff off their chest.

The work we do produces some brilliant outcomes for an exciting and interesting industry. We have some large, high profile projects on the go and some even larger ones in the pipeline. Our work environment is stimulating, challenging and rewarding. On the rare occassions we have jobs advertised we're usually swamped with applicants. I love being in a position to influence who is selected.

And finally on a totally selfish level, I love the lifestyle that my job gives me. Its beacuse I come to work every day that we live in a nice suburb, holiday regularly and can send our son to a good school. On the rare occassion that work is so bad that I think of chucking it in, I look at my son's school photo on my desk and I'm reminded of why I'm here. That and the holidays, the shopping and the rest and I suck it up and get on with it. Before I know it, all is well again anyway.

Are there aspects of your work that you genuinely soak up? (I bet there'd be some really good posts out there).

M