Sober Second Thought

It has been a while since I posted here.  I have been writing a lot lately, but focusing more on journaling, and shorter pieces rather than posting here.

It has been a busy couple of weeks as I had to delve deeper into work than I normally do which mean I was a bit more work-focused and thus less creative and relaxed.  It was only temporary and I am back today.  

Cheryl and I have developed a really good groove where we try to maintain as much consistency and balance between the two of us, which allows us more ability to focus on how best to handle the outside world.  It is a learning curve, as has been everything in our lives, as we are moving against the grain from our typical learned behaviour developed over 30 years.  Overall, it has been fantastic.  I find we very rarely argue, even though we invariably come at things from very different perspectives.  And, of late, the only things that get either of us riled up involves the outside world.  

On a more esoteric level, I feel better connected at work as I spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks attending economic events and networking.  I feel plugged in and in-tune with the world around me which tracks for me cyclically.  November is typically my time at work to set the groundwork for all of the documents that will be required for the coming year.  That happens here after the summer break and once new economic outlooks are set up.  I now recognize the cyclical patterns in my work environment and can plan farther ahead to keep my stress level low.  

I am also working on taking an extra beat before everything.  Before replying.  Before hitting send.  Before cutting someone off.  This sober second thought takes very little time, offers unlimited "ass-saving" potential and has already helped me out significantly.  If you listen carefully people tell you exactly what they need even if THEY don't know it.  Listening to a person's word choice, vibe, demeanor and allowing THEM extra time to either clarify, think further, or dig further in.  Either way, it is more intel available for me.  And more often than not, this information, as it has been purged from the depths is often VERY revealing.  This can allow you to help, or at the very least understand the point that they were TRYING to get to as it is THAT particular place they chose to stop. Much like a balloon that runs out of air, that is the moment to take a beat and think carefully about the words and direction to choose next.  

Most people do not do this.  This is a competitive edge.  This is one of the things that separates how I think from many of the people around me.  I think like this, and I have the ability to articulate my thoughts into rational, logical explanations.