I usually do these reflection piece-style entries when I reach milestones or after celebrating a month of entries (Halloween or Star Wars Month, for instance), but it makes sense to reflect on personal growth as well. This would’ve been a behind-the-scenes entry had I not thought about this, but with a lot that’s been keeping me busy and thinking, it made more sense to treat this like a reflection piece.
I suppose it’s technically both categories in one, though. Anyway, it’s go time.
~
What I’ve Been Doing
I’ve been putting a lot of my skills to the test over the last four months. Physical skills, people skills, and organization & productivity skills. It has kept me pretty busy and exhausted, but it’s also rewarding and exciting. I’ve been doing volunteer work and have been talking to people in workforce locations. Although I’ve been confident and optimistic about finding a job, recent activity has led to eye-opening experiences that have given me more direction, better sensibilities, and an even stronger take-charge mindset.
And, since I am closer to finally landing a job, I’ve been gradually inching back into blogging and refining things around here (mostly cleaning up and refining some of the drop-down menus). I have developed more material that I can expand on for blog entries, and I’ve been able to process enough of my thoughts to share what I’ve been going through.
Plus, I’ve also been challenging myself and breathing new life into another passion.
Reigniting an Old Flame
I’ve been getting back into learning music and practicing core skills I’d always overlooked. In 2006, I got a MIDI controller/keyboard and started learning piano skills right away, but then got into music theory studies and got more into that, taking notes and whatnot. I have learned cool techniques for composing and making basic beats, but still have a way to go before my knowledge becomes even more fleshed out.
Meanwhile, however, the fundamental skill of physically playing piano had become less of a focus when I realized I could just compose music by applying music theory concepts to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and sheet music software by clicking this-and-that. Yeah, I got a little sucked into the digital world and workflow. Can ya really blame me?
Ultimately though, I knew that deep down, I did really want to get good at physically playing piano/keyboard without looking at my fingers. It’s very limiting not knowing how to play efficiently, so I got an iPhone USB adaptor and an app that has exercises for playing sheet music. It’s working nicely and I’m doing pretty good so far. I’ve grown to embrace the challenge and that has made me want to push myself even more.
Extra Motivation
And speaking of pushing myself, a recent experience in which I talked to a career counselor and workforce specialists has given me an extra stronger push. It’s giving me a better idea of how to really take initiative and get some movement going. In short, I’ve learned that it’s okay (and even recommended) to make bold choices with the elevator pitch. I also learned about career growth and managed to get a taste of what it’s like to enter unfamiliar territory in terms of instigating professional interactions. In addition, I absorbed more pointers on talking with people in any industry.
The experience itself didn’t feel that long, but the effects are something I will remember for the rest of my life. Just thinking about it makes me feel more ready than ever and I’m excited to put all the advice to use.
I’ve always loved the idea of reinventing myself for job interviews, but this extra push has given me a reason as to why it’s good to go the extra mile, and come right out and say, “I want to work for you. I can not only deliver what you want, but I am also a good fit for your company. Here’s why…”
Letting Go and Finding Myself Again
Obviously, because of this, I have been letting go of distractions. I’m spending less time on Twitch, for instance. And there was a time when blogging was something I thought of as a distraction. But all that focus on finding a job while doing nothing creative to keep my mind active during downtime has made me miss content creation.
Being away from writing has helped me focus my attention on what’s important, sure. But as I began to notice why I was on Twitch more than usual during my free time, I realized that I wanted to pull away from it. I took a good long look at my love for writing (and overall expressing myself). It made me realize why doing this means a lot to me. Since then, I’ve learned to replace and change my habits so that I’m working on ideas for blog entries instead of hanging around in Twitch streams for hours like I used to.
Is there a final push of sorts that I need? It almost feels like it, but at the same time, maybe there isn’t. I know what must be done and it’s something I genuinely want to do. It feels nice to be more at peace with the idea of throwing myself into unfamiliar territory, especially when it comes to finding and diving into possibilities.
If there is a final motivating factor or piece of the puzzle, it’s combination of two things. For starters, I want to reach out and connect with others. And second, it’s especially that craving for activity and wanting to go out there to satisfy that craving with experiences that line up with my true values. I’ve grown tired of inaction and lethargy. I’m better at assessing between what I think I want, what I really want, and what I can do right now to get closer to where I want to be in the future.
Final Thoughts
In short, I want progress. And even though it’s been quite some time, it actually feels like the right time to kick-start everything. I feel like I could take it all apart and go on about this longer, but this was meant to give just enough of an overview and touch on the personal growth without turning it into a complete TED Talk of sorts all so I could jokingly say, “Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.”
Besides, if I did do a TED Talk, there’d be a little more jokes. But anyway, the more in-depth thoughts are things that I will explore in future entries. In the meantime, we’ll return to our regularly scheduled Friday night blog posts.
Until next time…
Kasey Lewis - Actor, Writer, Creator 