Yes, that sacred question plaguing everyone’s mind
Everyone already knows that I’m great at many things. Well everything really. I’m musically inclined, I work well with others and I’m one hell of a dancer.
OK fine… stop rolling your eyes.
I’ll admit it - I’m not perfect. I can’t do everything. I can’t read minds. I really worked at it, but I just can’t play golf. And try as I might, I can’t hum while pinching my nose closed. What you’re good at sometimes differs from your true passion though, which sparked the question “what are you passionate about?”
For me, the simple answer is I’m a Pisces, so everything.
True to my mutable Pisces nature, I try just about everything I can when the opportunity arises – always changing and improving when possible. I’ve dabbled in music, playing a range of instruments but ultimately finding love in the cello and violin. I’ve scratched the surface of sports and dance, appreciating the long-term benefits I received from years of ballet and hating those from being a catcher in softball. I’ve tinkered with different management styles in a wide variety of workplaces, from asbestos abatement to restaurants to large and small corporate offices. Dr. Seuss was also a Pisces in case you find yourself wondering whether or not we can land on one thing but still be all over the place. I’m not a total flake, guys.
When it comes to life, I firmly believe that there’s always more to discover and learn. For my professional life alone, I've studied business management to help my managerial skills and to have a better understanding of the inner-workings of corporations. I've studied accounting and economics to further that skill set. Some pretty random (but excellent) courses in data analytics, process management, resume building and interviewing technique workshops creeped into the mix. And guess what? I actually use them all. It wasn't one of those "you won't always have a calculator in your pocket" moments - all of these little tidbits stuck with me and actually come into play at work.
Don’t get me wrong – you can’t always get better at some things. I’ll probably never be able to hum with my nostrils pinched closed even if I can play all the other instruments in the world. But that shouldn’t be a skill if you ask me. It’s just ridiculous.
At one point or another I found myself entranced with the study of psychology. This, of course, led to sociology, biopsychology, neurobiology and criminology. Really just all the people-ologys. Many are shocked to discover my lack of formal degree in this field given a look at my bookshelves. My natural curiosity and creativity got me thinking how I could apply what I have learned into my everyday life, both personal and professional.
And there you have it… a true passion. That’s right – people. People are my passion! See? I finally landed on something.
I love people. All kinds of people. They just fascinate me. I learned so much about the nature of my fellow humans, I started to home in on just how to handle all kinds of situations and how to speak to others from all walks of life. Because of this, I knew I wanted to work in as many fields as a could in a role that's integral to the business (without bouncing around too much!). Being part of a well-oiled machine thrills me. Time and random managerial roles allowed my conflict resolution and contract negotiation skills to drastically improve, y’all. I also learned a great deal about myself. Talk about the benefits of education! Constantly searching for the new and improved Katie, I found out that my contradictory pessimistic optimism actually existed and had a name. I now know that my defensive pessimism is great in my home life and even better in my work life. My natural need to find all of the potential problems in a situation isn’t a sign of stress, it’s a great way for me to anticipate any issues and work to fix them before they arise. Awesome, right?
In the decent chunk of time I've had on this earth learning new things and exploring my creativity, I've loved finding the absolute perfect place for me at JSDesigns. Man do they keep my passion alive! While I am technically getting paid while writing this, I can assure you it's the absolute truth. And don’t worry, I won't tell anyone that you tried to hum with your nose closed while reading this – I tried it too when I first heard about it.