|
Responsibility part of growth
 Joe Palmersheim -- Staff Column
|
|
I was offered the position of Assistant News Editor a few weeks ago, and going against every instinct to the contrary, I took it.
You see, responsibility and I have never exactly had a good relationship. I guess it comes from all the times I screwed up and got in trouble for it. Maybe it led to low self-esteem or something because I learned very quickly to not put myself in any situation where I could get in trouble for screwing up.
In grade school, I would refuse to be the captain of any team because I didn't want the responsibility for losing. My preferred position in baseball was the outfield, particularly left field. Out there I could look like I was a part of the action without having to do anything.
Come to think of it, that's how I've approached a lot of things in life, including newspaper work. At the last paper I worked at before I came up here, the staff was very small. Seeing as I was the only person who actually worked there for the entire year, I was given an opportunity to become editor.
Well, maybe not right away, but the offer was definitely there to train. I could have saved myself a lot of time, learning layout and whatnot, but instead I shrugged away the offer. I reasoned with myself that I was perfectly happy writing one story a month, and not lifting a finger while still looking the part of something on campus. Sound familiar, anyone?
So, a few weeks ago, when my newest opportunity came around, I decided to reach out and take it. After all, how often does something like that come along? For years I've played it safe and never gotten anywhere. I guess I finally got sick of that, and decided to change it.
There's an episode of 'Seinfeld' where George decides to do everything the opposite of what he usually would. He becomes a success, winning both women and a management position with his job at the New York Yankees offices.
That's kind of how I feel, because ever since I took this job, I've been a lot busier. I think the infectious spirit of 'doing things backwards' has rubbed off, and I couldn't be happier.
What this whole thing teaches me is that responsibility isn't a bad thing, and it's fulfilling to know that you are making even the slightest difference in something.
Who knows where it will go from here? I realized a long time ago that I couldn't dodge responsibility (or positions that entailed it) for the rest of my life, but I vowed to try for as long as I could get away with it. Now, all of that has changed. I may not ever learn to truly love responsibility, but maybe this is the first step on the path that at least leads to a decent working relationship.
Joe Palmersheim can be reached at [email protected]
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy Network Advertising Article Syndication
|
|
