I had a whimsical start to the day. Nothing gives me more joy than a 1:1 walk on a crisp and lovely winter morning. It was a perfect way to start the week and my day. My buddy D and I enjoyed a brisk walk that left us sweaty and exhausted. But it was fun, and it was brrrr cold. My cashmere poncho was definitely not enough, but the walking generated enough heat. Now I hope I don’t fall sick 😦

D and I are best-work-friends. We worked together for a short period of time but we know just enough about each other’s world that we can be good advisors to each other. D helped me a lot when I was struggling with my professional lows earlier this year. No one will believe what an empathetic fuzzy bear he can be. I do and I am spoilt.

I have him and my girl gang, my peers and my bosses, and my team. I am spoilt for choices when it comes to having a strong support system at work.

My girl gang is just the three of us who worked on my old team. We make up a rather small but mighty ra ra club. I discuss all my highs and lows with them. And they do too. We love this little nook of ours where we talk about everything – unfiltered. Whether it is a nasty meeting or one of those moments when you feel like the only woman in a sea of men, we come to each other’s rescue and offer solutions. We also sing praises for each other. Mostly V. I am not blessed with that skill. Singing praises does not come naturally to me.

Support systems are very critical to my work life. As a manager and lead you go through so many ups and downs and blows and battles, that you want someone to share your war stories with. Someone to heal those bruises and comfort your ego once in a while. My support system rocks. It is diverse across genders, roles, experience and opinions. I know that I can lean on them. 😊 I hope they all feel the same way too!

I am exceptionally chatty today.. but let the good times roll.

Today, I had a nice time coaching someone about how to prioritize his opportunities . I realized then how love to see people grow. From what they are to what they can be. Often times I cross the line. People don’t always wants that push. But I feel so disheartened seeing potential go waste. So I do my bit. I have a few successes so far. Too few to count, but I know I helped those people look beyond what they thought they were capable of.

The person I am coaching was on the verge of quitting. And I offered him three alternatives. He took the weekend to think and today we sat down to evaluate his options and reach a decision. He made a good decision. And I planted another sapling that will one day become a tree. I know that this tree will not give me any shade. But in my heart I will know that this tree was once a sapling that needed a little help and a little nudge and I had some tiny role to play in it. In fact I was telling someone last week that although I am not CEO material. I am definitely a CHO material – chief happiness officer. I also think it’s a more worthy goal to have. Just my 2 cents for myself.

While we are still rolling …Someday I’d like to work for the Aspen Institute. Yep. That some day is far away. But I know that in some way, I want to be associated with that organization. After working for Google, other tech firms don’t quite make much sense. So once I am finally bored with my job, (note that I usually don’t let that day come so easily. I’ve never quit a job because it was boring. I make it what I want to do and it stays intriguing), one day when I am done playing program manager or whatever it is that I do, I will go work voluntarily for the Aspen Institute. Of course I will be 55 then and not have any mortgage to pay and hopefully Tara will be a Fulbright Scholar …. alright let’s stop here 😉 whims and fancies is the theme for the day. But hey – you got to dream only then they will come true.

On that note I met someone yesterday who said that I should quit my full time job and become a full time blogger and write till it becomes so natural for me that I can keep writing for good. Nice idea. But not practical. May be I can be a full time blogger when I go work for the Aspen Institute.

I told ya’ll – my day was whimsical. It’s going to be that kind of a week. 🙂