kyle steed

So I’ve been thinking for a while now that I should focus more on writing actual articles instead of just spitting out random blurbs of my life. I want to focus on creativity and design (web, graphic, etc.). That seems obvious enough since those are the two things that take up most of my time during any given weekday.

So what do I need first? I need a new name by which to call my blog. If anyone has a suggestion that would be great. I like to get input from other people; it helps expand my creative thinking process. But in the meantime, I’ll leave this under the monikor of “Kyle Steed’s Weblog”.

So why waste any more time? Let’s begin.

From my experience a fresh start is something that carries both a benefit and a curse. On the one side you get to start somewhere new, and that’s exciting. The sky is the limit when you start a new project, or you move to a new location. You can almost become a new person. I think this is true for me when I clean. I feel like I’m getting a fresh start when everything is organized and in its right place. (My wife thinks I have OCD. Well… maybe just a little.) But I can’t concentrate when I know there’s a mess in the kitchen or if my work area isn’t organized.

On the flip side of this coin, starting fresh can bring doubt and fear of the unknown. Perfect example, for me, is moving back to America after the military. I didn’t have any plans for a job or where we would live or how we would get back and forth. I would lay in bed at night the months leading up to my separation and think we would be living in a box, with only lent in our pockets and some canned tomatoes to eat that the Japanese people packed up. Yet within a month after moving back we had a car, an apartment and new jobs. But that’s enough for a whole other post.

So I think it’s important, no matter how you handle a fresh start, to have faith that you will come through in the end. Whether it’s a new project at work, or moving half-way around the world, we are constantly being called to the arms of grace. And in that grace we can rest that nothing in this life is worth stressing about.

“There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” - Matthew 6:25-26 (The Message)

Okay, I have to be a little honest right now, if that’s okay. I’m having trouble staying on track here at work. I have a number of projects to work on, but most of them are on hold or are awaiting approval. So what do I do in the mean time?

I’m the type of person who needs clear direction in my life. If I don’t have a plan to follow on a daily basis I get easily sidetracked or worse, bored. I used to think something was wrong with me. But I’m learning that if I’m not challenged enough then I become bored. Is this bad? Maybe, maybe not. I guess it could be bad if I don’t learn to manage my time and know how and where to use my strengths.

All of this is a learning process. Trial and error.

So what does it take for me to stay on track? Besides a path to follow, I need an outline listing what projects I have to work on, and detailed directions for each of those projects. Also I need the time requirements for when they are expecting to see the first draft and when they would like the final draft done. Right now I’m not directly involved in the financial aspect of my job, but I still have the responsibility of tracking my time and giving quotes on how long it should take to accomplish a task. But how do these guidelines apply when I’m waiting for approval or waiting on the next project? How can I better use my time so I don’t feel like I’m just wasting it?

I feel alone out here in the vast cubicle wasteland.

Also, where have all the mentors gone? I think we should resort back to the master/apprentice teaching method.