Stuck in the Mundane

Some days feel mundane.

I answer emails. I solve minor problems. Not the World changer I set out to be more than twenty years ago. The girl who chose Psychology as her major so that she could make a difference by helping people. In my everyday tasks, I often feel unimportant. Sure, some things would not happen if I did not do my job. A client might not be able to login to a website. There might be a problem that goes unresolved, but to tell you the truth if I stopped working for a day, I don’t know that anyone would notice.

I have struggled with this lately. What could I possibly say that would be important for someone else to hear? How did I lose my voice? Somewhere along the way, I let the small tasks steal my vision and quite possibly my passion.

Do you remember Big Chief Tablets? Just writing the words takes me back to my elementary school days and I can almost feel the paper, and smell the inside of my Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox. On test days, my friends and I would sit at our desks behind a temporary wall made from the backs of Big Chief Tablets. The handmade apparatus was designed to block our vision. To keep our eyes focused solely on our desk and not the world around us.

As an adult, I have created my own virtual wall from the constraints of my home office (which is another story). My everyday work has made it impossible for me to see the vast world of which I am a part. One of the things I remember most about those long days of testing is that when we finally took down the “blinders,” I felt like I could breathe again. The whoosh of the wall coming down allowed the air thick with solitude to be replaced with possibility.

I want that feeling every day. I want to feel like there is possibility and hope and that I am still making a difference in the lives of others. I am tearing down my wall and focusing on three areas of my world to escape the mundane and restore my passion. More importantly, to remember that I am the girl who can make a difference in the lives of others.

My organization

My organization is changing lives. We teach impoverished people through the power of online education how to feed their families healthy meals. This is my world.

Imagine a mom logging into her wichealth account and learning how to take care of her baby’s teeth. Or discovering that by eating healthy foods she can protect them from lead. As a result of this nutrition education, the child grows up to be a doctor or teacher helping others. And as a result of having a mom who educates herself on healthy habits, the child grows up to be a doctor or a teacher or maybe just has fewer cavities. Either way — we made a difference.

Or what about a grandmother in rural America raising several grandchildren under the age of 5 who needs her WIC benefits to feed her grandchildren? I have three children and sometimes just getting all three of them in the car can feel like mass chaos. To any caregiver, our children and their health are our priority. The ability to receive nutrition education that is relevant to our family from the comfort of our living room is priceless — especially if we can avoid a temper tantrum. We made a difference.

I am making a difference.

My People

I work with some incredibly talented people. Bob Bensley has dedicated his life to public health education. And Jason Rivas has spent more than ten years tirelessly designing a website that works to create healthy families. They are in my world!

And that is just the beginning. We have a Development Team that takes a vision and turns it into a website. A website that assesses people’s’ needs and has proven to change behavior. I am still not sure how they create their magic, but somehow, they do! They are in my world!

And then there is the Content Team; they understand how people learn and create lessons that are engaging and interactive. This team is in my world.

One thing I have learned is that my brain does not work like most of theirs. We think differently. That’s what makes us great! I could attempt to do what they do, but I probably would not get very far. But, the same goes for me. Being in Client Success means that I am a people person. I hear and work to understand all sides. I am empathetic. I don’t know that they could do my job. Why would I ever feel unimportant? It makes me think of that not so old song…”Everything is awesome when you are part of a team.” (Sorry, now that will be stuck in your head.)

My Role

As the Director of our Client Success Team, I only hear stories of the people we help and to tell you the truth I am jealous of those that get to see their smiling faces and hear the words of gratitude. Isn’t it often the case that as we progress through our careers, we are further away from the reason we started?

Sometimes, it is essential to take out your magnifying glass and look at our role with a different perspective especially when our everyday work clouds our vision.

In Client Success, our primary goal is to build relationships by handling every interaction with empathy. To not just hear their stories, but to feel them. We might not know who is behind the avatar we see on the screen, but we do know they are mom, dad, grandparent, caregiver striving to provide the best for their family. I am not just answering an email, I am making a difference. Client success is overlooked. It isn’t flashy. It isn’t magical and let’s face it, it isn’t making big news, but it is making a big difference in the lives of those we serve, and in our business. Client success is about listening, engaging, building trust, asking the right questions and making things happen and ultimately it is about serving others. This is my world.

In Gandhi’s words, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Maybe somewhere along the way I did lose myself. In the midst of returning emails and solving problems, I forgot I have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone every day. Every interaction is full of opportunity.

I work in a great big world! A world that includes an organization that was developed to change behaviors powered by people who are experts in their jobs and I am lucky enough to have a role that fuels my passion for helping others.

Are you stuck behind your Big Chief Tablet? Take both hands and knock it down. Breathe in your world. It sure changes your perspective.