Finding Comfort in Being Uncomfortable...

I am a serious education junky. I enjoy education and the entire process of learning - I like knowing... and I like figuring out how to know something.

Sounds weird but its true.

I started a new job path earlier this year, which is partially why I went MIA on this blog for a little. This job is 100% different than my previous job experiences. I welcome the challenge. I like change and tend to embrace doing something different - stepping outside my comfort zone.

But what I often forget is that this is not normal. People tend to attempt to avoid change - regardless of how inevitable it really is. I am reminded of this from time to time when I am met with resistance on new projects and procedures that I am embracing - and my work is a feeding ground for this type of behavior.

I work as a project manager (I hate that term) for Agile projects. I know - that makes no sense, but the idea is that change in software development can be embraced and can occur in very short iterations - usually every 2 weeks. So when change comes every two weeks, people who do not like change tend to never have "down time."

Today I had some down time of my own since all my projects seem to be going relatively smoothly (*yay*) and I chose to watch a webinar recording from a popular site. The one I chose was about the Manager's Role in an Agile Development Environment (sounds dry, was actually really good).

The overall topic was basically that PMs transitioning into agile environments are not alone in feeling uncomfortable and it was to encourage people to be comfortable even when a situation is normally uncomfortable. It was really a great webinar - very open and even I, a person who completely embraces Agile, found valuable.

So now that I've rambled for a few paragraphs, if any readers are still here - they are probably asking "What the hell are you talking about? What does this have to do with crochet?"



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 I've talked about this before - challenging yourself - trying something new. When a person finds themselves in a challenging situation, it is usually one of uncertainty because it is new. If it wasn't new, why would it be a challenge, right? I believe people need to push themselves outside their comfort zone, even with crafting.

And I think today's technology almost makes a new experience somewhat easy to transition into - Last night around midnight I was working on the Dead Fish Hat - and I got to the tail... and was faced with a new abbreviation "KFB" .... I had no idea what it was but knew I should sleep before attempting something new.

At 6am, I put my pop tart down at my work area and picked up my knitting. I also booted up my laptop and went straight to YouTube. I searched for "ktb knitting" and my answer was there - and it was spelled out for me. This "challenge" of a new knitting abbreviation turned into a non-event.

So now I'm asking myself "Cris, what in the heck are you talking about now?" because I really don't know - but I know I just wanted to take from the positive feelings I got from the webinar recording and pass that on to you - and the message is easily translated to the crafting world.

So... what is the moral of my rambling story post?
Don't back away from a challenge. It's ok to feel uncomfortable when trying something new - and don't make a mountain out of a mole hill.... In crafting, chances are that even if you don't know what it is, you can easily find a resource in this great big world of the internet.