Life Changes

As I take the day to mentally and physically recharge my batteries, I’ve been reflecting on some of the recent changes in my life and what they mean.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at a Diabetes education class to learn more about the disease, how to manage it, and what it means in the long term. I think the most optimistic outlook is that if I do everything as I’m supposed to (manage my blood sugars, eat right, exercise, and lose weight) then I should be able to hold off most if not all of the complications (blindness, kidney damage, nerve damage, and amputation). I was also given a personalized nutrition plan which actually seems pretty reasonable.

This past week my doctor doubled the dosage of metformin to 2000mg per day and added Amaryl since my fasting blood sugar after three weeks was still over 200. I think the larger concern at the moment for him, though, is that my blood pressure is still too high and the medication has not adequately controlled it. So, he’s asked me to participate in a study for a new medication that might help. The good news is that the medication will be provided at no charge.

A month ago I took only one medication whenever I felt my acid reflux acting up. Now I’m taking 4 different kinds of medication in the morning and another in the evening. A month ago I could eat whatever I want and now I’m reading food labels and counting carbs. A month ago I was pretty sedentary and now I’m exercising at least 30 minutes 3 times a week on the treadmill we bought a few years ago as a coat rack and dust collector.

This week, though a rather bizarre (at least in my opinion) set of circumstances, my career took a sudden unexpected change. I think it’s a very positive change, but it was still pretty unexpected. During a reorganization of the group I was in, I found that the position I had no longer really existed. Instead, I was given some options as to where I wanted to go. I ended up in a management position with a team of 2 employees, 2 contractors, and 2 unfilled positions reporting to me. This was something that was always on my ‘roadmap’, but it certainly something I wasn’t expecting to happen right now. I always thought it was something I would pursue once I finished my master’s degree (May 2008).

So, I have a new position which I have to learn about the systems and procedures for a critical function of the business. I know the high-level stuff, but now I have to dive into the nitty-gritty. I will also be managing employees which are experts in their field that happens to be different than my expertise. I’ve spent 6 years as a system administrator and capacity planner. Now I’ll be managing a team that is responsible for the operational aspects of a data warehouse and reporting environment. That means DBAs, ETL administrators, and reporting administrators. I hope I will be able to get my head around this stuff without increasing my stress level too much. More stress means higher blood pressure.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I wrote a paper for CMG (Computer Measurement Group) and it was accepted for publication. I have been asked to present that paper at their conference in December. I will need to spend time over the next month editing and finalizing the paper for publication as well as preparing the presentation itself. Piece of cake, right?

In just under a month, I will be returned to classes and grind another semester towards finishing that degree. Ironically enough, both are management classes dealing with organizational performance and managing technical people. So, I’m excited about where things are headed but I know I must have a handle on the most recent changes before I throw more stress into the mix.

I recently started reading Stephen Covey’s book entitled The 8th Habit in which he talks about making the leap from effectiveness to greatness. The first part of the book talks about the pain many successful and effective people feel. They are accomplishing things, but don’t really feel like what they are doing matters. I wouldn’t say I’ve been feeling that way, but I do identify with the feeling. I hope Mr. Covey’s book will give me some further enlightenment and help me with these changes.

So, I’m grateful for the time I’ve had to reflect on these changes and share them with you. They are mostly positive changes, but I do tend to feel overwhelmed when I’m faced with lots of changes of any kind in a short amount of time.