Rites of passage

Six months ago when I started my new job I felt like I had to study every piece of information that came my way. There was so much information to pick up and new things to learn. At times I was hesitant to do something for fear of getting tasks out of order or completed the wrong way and I ended up asking permission for everything I had to do.

What struck me was today I took initiative to set up a meeting and do many tasks that I use to question whether it was okay to act on my own. I can see how I have changed not only in understanding of my job and my roles but my willingness to jump in and get work done. The change is more than self confidence but the growth in my one's profession.

It made me think of rites of passage. We do not have many in our culture and yet they are important. Without them we do not have a marker for growth, achievement, and identity. There is no way to measure these things without a rite of passage. Our culture is steeped in living an undisciplined & impersonal & non reflective lifestyle. We just assume people grow up at some point and we never measure these types of things.

In our culture we go by birthdays and each one represents something different. At 16 one can driver, at 18 one can join the military and are legally considered and adult, and at 21 one can legally consume alcohol (At 24 one is no longer covered by your parents insurance but no one really cares about that one).

I need to come up with my own rites of passage, my own milestones to measure personal growth and progress. I can then celebrate them and share them with people who care or are supportive.