non-complacency

There’s more on my mind then one blogs worth this week. Last week I asked what you did to stay motivated when sickness or injury has you out of the game. Audra said reading helped her a lot. I was thinking about that. I hadn’t actually realized that I had been reading to stay motivated too.

I’ve been reading things like Seth’s Blog, and several of his books, the blog posts from Groundswell and that book. I’ve been reading about how to make movies in Adobe Premier, and which local colleges have con-ed classes in new media and/or web design. I have a big book list but next is Lynchpin by Seth Godin, and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I’ve been pushing, thinking, and inspiring myself, not in a Movement focus, but for work. And I only just realized that’s Movement too, of a different sort.

I spend 8 hours a day (yes 8 at least, even with lunch) 5 days a week (and more during concerts) at my current job, a job I really like. A lot of the time I’m doing what needs to be done, what I’m asked to do, basically the general duties that my position entails. But, I also do a lot of pushing. I call it pushing because I’m doing things that seem to make people there a bit uncomfortable. I’m challenging the status quo. I’m nudging, and testing, and trying not to be complacent while not really pissing anyone off. And believe it or not – I was hired to do that too- but not in so many words. And I love it. In fact, that’s what I love the most about it. I take care of all the online media (with the odd exception of the website itself). When I first started I was worried about what to write, and how to sound, and what’s the voice of the company. I figured that out. I also took something I read to heart. It’s been my “thought of the day” on my blog for a while.

“Change is not made by asking permission, it’s made by asking forgiveness later.”- Seth Godin

I think I’ve taken this to heart. I stopped asking if I could do things, and just started doing them. I don’t do them without thinking, I don’t do them without planning, I don’t do them without some sort of response to criticism or ‘fix’ planned. A lot of the time I do even ask, but I don’t always wait for the answer.

Beyond a reputation for non-complacency, I’m not really sure where this is going to get me. I love what I do, and I even think they like it too. I get kudos and a pat on the back, but I’m still worried. Is what I do just ‘cool’, despite my efforts to prove otherwise in numbers? Have I quantified it enough? I can tell you how much the ROI is on internet sales, and I can explain the benefits of audience engagement, and I can give input on website usability and I have fun with Google Analytics (which just makes me a geek). But can I PROVE I’m worth my paycheck? Can I guarantee my employment past a certain date? So I read, and learn, and motivate and keep pushing.