Hi furries!

Had a pretty rough day recently when I found out there weren’t going to be any annual bonuses for anyone for 2018. The company didn’t meet its goals and funding is in bad shape. It’s easy to look around and wonder “Who is responsible for this?” when the real question is “What was I responsible for and is there a way for me to fix it?”

Was there anything I could have done? Maybe. I was already going outside the scope of my job description and then also assisting others in their projects to increase productivity around the lab. There’s times I could have done more but that’s about it now. Would this have added up to millions of dollars shortfall? Well no. I’m pretty great but not THAT great. So maybe there’s nothing I could do on my end to make up for that. Is there a way for me to fix it for them? Well not really that either.

So, after being a little down in the dumps about it, the responsibility question got deeper and I looked for what I am responsible for. I AM responsible for how I feel in my reaction to this news. I could feel down or I could put that energy to something useful. I AM responsible for picking my work. I could feel stuck and cheated or I could put more effort into looking for a new job. I AM responsible for where I work. So many people stay around SoCal expecting to find high-power jobs but if I want to be able to own a home and set down roots, I either have to move to a different state for work or find a second source of income here.

Asking these questions helps me re-align with my goals and come up with new ideas for plans and ways to keep moving ahead in my life. While I consider the options for myself, I want you to review everything and imagine you could take responsibility for some situation you’re in. If you can’t take responsibility for everything, identify what you can be responsible for.

Good luck, furries!