Maybe it’s nine months of weekly therapy, maybe it’s projects I’m excited about*–but I feel like I’ve been doing some really good work at work in the last little while. I’m more willing to take risks and more open about what I need and it turns out that’s a combo for creative ideas.

I saw this article Monday and it falls in line with what I’ve been doing differently in my career: embracing who I am, being open, and managing my anxiety. From A Misfit’s Guide to Navigating the Office, by Jennifer Romolini:

 

Your best work will come when you can be open, accountable, curious and fully who you are—not by performing some outsize version of who you think you should be. Not sure where to begin? Try the following:

      • Stop with the whens and thens: (“When I am X, then I can X … ”) Instead, focus on the value and strengths you bring in this moment, even with all of your perceived flaws.
      • Identify what it is about work that makes you feel anxious. Learn to push through this anxiety instead of running away from it. A daily meditation practice may help with this; so could a simple 10-minute walk.
      • Pinpoint the triggers that make you feel ashamed or insecure and begin the process of overcoming them. Journaling, therapy, confiding in friends are all potential ways to cope.

*It’s the therapy