Several weeks ago, I upgraded my four-year-old phone for an iPhone 6. You’d think it would be like going from black and white to Technicolor, a veritable extravaganza of wonders and delights.
Except I couldn’t figure out how to work the danged thing.
The keyboard was just different enough that typing anything coherent was a challenge; I felt the way I had in the late 90s when I traveled to Europe and tried to send emails from various Internet cafes and all my letters had strange accents and umlauts over them. I tried using Siri to talk out my texts but didn’t know how to tell her to send them, so important communications didn’t arrive and people were left wondering what the heck I was thinking.
It was a growth spurt that lasted a little over two weeks. Not terribly painful (#firstworldproblems), but not that pleasurable either. It was…irritating.
Where’s the good news here? That irritation is often actually a sign that you are moving up a level in insight and experience. (Click to Tweet!)
Right after you’ve upleveled—whether in your life, job, energy, or yes, even technology—you’re in unfamiliar territory. You’re a rookie at the new level, and you’ve got to be OK with figuring out things that you thought you had figured out long ago—things like sending a text message.
It’s so tempting to see the difficulties and think there’s something wrong, or that you’ve made a mistake. But when you can keep going, despite the accompanying inconveniences, a brand new world awaits you.
For instance, now I am talking my emails and texts and it is so fabulous to be able to be that eloquent in a fraction of the time it takes to type.
Where are you experiencing frustration in your life right now? And how might it indicate that you are experiencing a growth spurt? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
I’m starting to get super serious about my freelance career as an artist. That’s hard work and it makes me uncomfortable. I’m frustrated with doing my own PR. Why can’t people just find my portfolio and hire me? ha ha. Ugh.
Ah Dawn, the lament of artists of all stripes, everywhere! Yes, you definitely didn’t have to do your own PR when you weren’t so serious about your career as an artist. Try to tap in to the things that will become possible when more people do know about your work and are paying you do what you were born to do. If you believe in your work, then you’ve got to also believe that it’s a service to tell other people about it. You don’t need everyone to go gaga over you. You just need the right people, and a pretty small number compared to how many people there are in the world. Let that hearten you and guide you to really share what’s unique about you and your stuff. Put stuff out there that will attract the exact people you’re looking for. Congrats on going for it! xo
Great topic, Kate! Experienced this feeling just today – after an hour on the phone with the woman who is helping me figure out my WordPress website. A wave of excitement and dread overtook me as I realized (a) how much fun it would be to finally get it planned out properly, and (b), how much work I would now have to do to get the copy done for the pages of the site. I went out and ate a chocolate donut, then faced the future with a renewed sense of optimism. One step at a time, just like you and your phone. 😉
Mine is my career as a fitness/ motivation coach. I am online at Kaplan for my Bachelor’s in Health and Wellness plus I just joined Beachbody to be a motivational coach and to get my body in shape before I graduate. The technology is a lot to take in. My husband and I both in school with six children and remodeling is a lot to take on. But the challenges of growth are amazing. I have left behind people who I did not realize till now held me back. Not that they meant to, but they have no ambition and want change but want others to do it for them. I had to break free from those kind of people and find all new friends. That is such a scary move in life, to leave your comfort zone and just jump out there. I do not like heights, but I figured I only have one life so why waste it. Love your post. I think we go threw this many of times without realizing that we do. Then a post like yours reminds us of why we feel the way we do. Great post.