Recently, a really nasty Katherine emerged. And frankly, I really don’t like her very much.

I won’t “dish” too much about work in a public forum, but it’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that the company I work for has had a few “interesting” years. From some difficult major projects to being acquired by another company which immediately faced some ethics issues, and from building the branding for the new entity to a strike by our unionized workers, saying there have been challenges is certainly not an understatement. We’ve all been working flat out for a long, long time.

A couple of weeks ago I just snapped. And you know, it wasn’t over something big, or important, or even memorable. It was just the last thin little straw that broke the camel’s back. And as I sat in my office, trying to pull myself back together, I started to wonder if it was worth it. I’m pretty sure I’ve been less than pleasant to be around for a while and I’m certainly whining and complaining far more than I like doing, both at work and at home.

Now, of course it’s not as bad as all that. Everyone has a bad week now and then – and that certainly was mine.

The challenge now is to pull up my socks and focus on the good – and truly, there is plenty of it. I have a great team working for me, some fantastic colleagues and plenty of professional challenges keep me engaged. I often say I work with the smartest people I’ve ever known. Of course, it never hurts that my commute is less than 20 minutes. In the Greater Toronto Area, that’s pretty good!

Fortunately, right after the meltdown, I had a business trip to a trade conference in the sunny south of the US. It got me out of the office for a few days, giving me an opportunity to reassess things. The conference gave us useful insight into the US market, the sunshine was restorative, and coincidentally, an old friend lived nearby and we had a chance to reconnect. 

So I’m now back in the office (and back to yoga, which I often says keeps me balanced) with a new attitude and renewed vigour. Now all I have to do is keep that monster away!