Administrative Assistant's Update

APRIL 2014 2 When change means everything There was a time in my life when I needed to change. Not just one thing, but pretty much everything. What I was doing at work didn't feel authentic. I suppose that's Oprah-speak for that feeling of disconnect when what you're doing, the way you're living, who you're spending time with—it all feels wrong. It doesn't feel like who you are, or what you should be doing. That's what happened to me about 18 years ago. I was working in a very high-pres- sure job and I was getting a divorce (amicable, but still upsetting and thoroughly jarring). I won't get into the psychology of how I got to that place, but at some point I realized that wearing high heels and a suit and working up to 19 hours a day (I'm not exaggerat- ing) was not how I wanted to spend my life. I took some time to refl ect. I changed jobs, deliberately mov- ing to another job in the same fi eld (marketing) which placed much less pressure on me and at a company where the work culture was far more relaxed. I eventually quit that job as well, and moved to a house in a small town in Ontario. There, I returned to doing what I loved to do and what I knew I should be doing: writing. While I was at it, I took a good hard look at just about everything in my life and if something wasn't au- thentic—if it didn't feed my soul—I changed it or got rid of it. I became a vegetarian. I started playing squash. And I started taking time to nourish myself. Personal values One of the main tools I used during this transition was a written set of values. I thought about what mattered most to me, and what didn't matter at all. I wrote down fi ve things that I valued. And from then until this day, if something I'm doing doesn't con- nect with those values, I try not to do it. I think of it as "doing what serves me." My values lead to my ultimate goals; so it makes sense to do the things that are aligned with those values. While on the surface it seems limiting, ultimately having written values saves a lot of time. It helped me to make decisions and be more focussed and not drawn towards things that didn't help me. For instance, I was offered a job with what seemed like an interest- ing title and great pay. But, armed with my list of values, I turned it down. That job—no matter what the pay—wouldn't take me to where I ultimately wanted to go. Meanwhile, I've watched many people take jobs that don't gibe with their values. Those jobs don't last long. Not much time passes before those people are looking for "the next thing." And the next, and the next. My transition wasn't easy. There were lots of days when I didn't make enough money to pay the bills. So I started bartering. I created a brochure for my squash coach in exchange for lessons. I helped an upscale hair salon with their mar- keting in exchange for haircuts. As time went by, I found more and more that the people I met and spent time with were people who shared my values. I met the man I would eventually marry. He and I shared the same values and goals, something I never would have realized if I hadn't taken the time to refl ect on what really mattered to me. This year, we marked our 13th anniversary. And I'm a writer, doing what I love to do and what I'm good at. It was hard to change—but it was worth it in the end. Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. EDITORIAL OFFICE v joycegrant@sympatico.ca S (416) 656-7796 U Joyce Grant, Editor Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE S (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 T FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 v carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2014 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's F R O M T H E E D I TO R Joyce Grant Photo: marekuliasz/shutterstock.com 2014 April AAU.indd 2 2014 April AAU.indd 2 14-03-20 1:29 PM 14-03-20 1:29 PM

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