Ailian Gan | >140

Growth requires friction

In the first couple months of my job, the two most common phrases I used to describe my experience were “thrown in the deep end” and “drinking from the fire hose”. I felt slightly overwhelmed on most days, totally overwhelmed on a few days, and it was great. 

Fast forward half a year later, I work less hours (somewhat). I generally no longer feel lost. I am less stressed. Which is great… except that in order to be in flow, you need to be sufficiently challenged. Growth requires friction.

In the next 6 months, my biggest challenge will be to force my learning curve to be steep enough so that I stay in flow. I could optimize around the edges - be faster to respond to clients, know the product better, tweak processes. But that is pretty much cruising to me. Not very interesting. The point, the proper use of my effort, is to be performing at an entirely different level in 6 months. 

Need to go think about how to do that. 

**

I wrote the part above around the new year. A turn of events in the last couple of weeks has basically offered me my challenge. I’ve had to shift from thinking about what I can contribute as an individual, to what we need to contribute as a team. 

And lately, I find, the less you think about yourself and the more you think about everyone else, the better things seem to work out. 

(Perhaps one could also say, the less you think of yourself and the more you think of everyone else, the better things seem to work out.) 

I am definitely back to feeling the learning curve. And feeling grateful for that.