I’m fairly exhausted right now and I only plan editing this post once.

I was planning on writing a post about my rise into the person I’ve become today. I wanted to express something about my changing hopes and dreams. I wanted to explain why they were constantly changing and the challenges I faced. I have overcome more devastating events that would have broken anyone else.

While that’s all good and fine, I don’t see what expressing those obstacles serve for the purposes of this blog. In fact, there have been numerous posts lately that sit idling in a draft for failure to connect means with ends. I was just about to let this post fall into the same space, but I remembered my goal. I can do this.

There’s been quite a bit of speculation on my future as of late. Several recent discussions about where my job is heading. Currently, there are two routes to choose from and they are vastly different in function, but extremely similar in principle.

In one route, I would get to help lawyers blog better. This is my original focus, the big reason why I’ve stepped up to blogging twice a week. My time working at a writing center and my certificate of teaching of writing really came out in this goal. I’ve even had the opportunity to help several law bloggers recently and that wonderful feeling of fire starting is just too juicy to avoid. I love the feeling of imparting knowledge. It’s like sharing your favorite toy with your first best friend as a child.

This new route has somehow managed to make a stronger appeal. The position, which doesn’t seem to have a name, would be along the lines of a project manager building and implementing Portals, a relatively new concept for online communities (sort of). I would get to literally build online communities from the ground up. As a person that has built communities in the past, this appeals to me. Heck on of my favorite books is Tharon Howard’s Design to Thrive: Creating Social Networks and Online Communities that Last. He was the first author I ever emailed to thank for their work.

After talking with Colin O’Keefe, LexBlog’s VP of Strategy & Media Development yesterday about these two options. He asked a very simple question, “What would you do if you could make the position your own?”.

Funny enough, that’s how every person at LexBlog gets their start. You get hired and then told politely to, “figure it out yourself”. If you ask, “how would you like this done?”, you’ll be met with “whatever you think is best”. It’s terrifying in its level of freedom. However, that process has made me take personal responsibility to the next level, giving me more confidence than ever before.

I remember being let go of a cooking job because the sous chef and the kitchen manager (equal title, responsibility, and no-difference whatsoever) both tried teaching me conflicting techniques for hashbrowns. One was about speed, the other about quality. If they would have let me learn on my own, instead of insisting I cook their way, I might still be stuck cooking at a sports bar. Another funny thing, when they reduced me to zero hours they said it was because I lacked confidence.

Now, I can think about building and guiding a new generation of online communities without needing to think, “how would x like this done?”. I’m going to go through Dr. Howards books again this weekend and see what inspiration I might get. I’ll sit and fantasize the possibilities of these two routes. I’ll consider what they may mean for me in the long run as well. In any case, there is no question: I can do this.

I really hope that you enjoyed my tired ramblings. If you liked this post, let me know by liking, emailing, or a phone call. These Casual Friday posts are still foreign to me and I have no idea if anyone enjoys them but me. Also, check out Dr. Howard’s book. Here’s the link again. Applying remuneration to life has been a game changer.

Thank you again and have a great weekend!