YOU 2.0

“ every next level of your life will demand a different you ”

After teaching choir and music theory for 14 years at a public school in New Jersey, I started a new job as Supervisor of Fine Arts in a new district. This position means that I am responsible for creating and designing curricula, hiring and evaluating staff, and providing professional development. Suddenly I was the new voice of authority for Arts Education across 8 schools! It sounds impressive, but it is also slightly intimidating. This was a new and very public level of accountability and responsibility. So many things were now calling my attention: non-stop emails, questions about what to do with staff members, and a general feeling of constant responsibility that I was not used to and had not experienced before. It was so much actually that after 1 month on the job I started to feel like I couldn’t focus on any one thing for more than five minutes. I realized I needed to evolve into a newer, more improved version of myself. It was time for an update!

And then, one day I was scrolling through Pinterest and I came across the quote, “every next level of your life will demand a different version of you.” This was one of those posts that I felt like the Lord Himself had placed in my socil media feed for me! That was just it – I needed to access a different version of myself. Not that I was bad before, but I just had to evolve or become overwhelmed by this new position.

Honestly, I was so compelled by this quote and new revelation that I broke out of my own social media seclusion to post it on Facebook. And the response was overwhelming! Not only was this quote just for me, but apparently this was a message so many others needed to hear. It is time for all of us to push to a new level and different version of our “you”.

A More Intentional You

There are many demands for you at a new level. Before I began this supervisor job, I did not have to plan things like working out, visiting family, or even my prayer and devotional time. I quickly began to realize that with the demands of this new level, if I was going to be successful I had to also be intentional. I began a new habit of waking up in the morning and writing down what I needed to accomplish that day. When I first started this job, I would have a plan in my head and by 8:30am it would be completely upended by unforeseen issues! But by writing these things down, they were ever-present before me and thus became a priority.

I even made my emotions a priority – journaling about my feelings and various situations that happen during the day. Not only is this good for blogging but it is also good for my spirit. I have a list of things to be grateful for, and that is so much more helpful than complaining!

As well, I quickly realized I had to make meeting with friends and talking to those valuable in my life a priority. Relationships are part of the human fabric, and you have to make time for them, lest they become a detriment. Unfortunately, this new job meant that people I once saw daily for 14 years would quickly become a footnote in my life story unless I actively made plans to see them. Meeting with friends is a time of reflection and it is always very refreshing for me. It feels like I am maintaining a humanity that can sometimes get lost in the usual day-to-day.

Accept This Level of Peace

“Oh, what peace we often forfeit / Oh, what needless pain we bear / All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”

– hymn, “What a Friend we have in Jesus”

In the middle of one of my Mallette Morning Mirror Pep Talks, I said the words, “I accept the peace that God is offering me at this new level.” What a revelation! When you rise to a new level in anything, the “to-do list” inevitably grows. I began to realize this list can drive anyone mad, though, because there is always work to do. The job was always giving me more to do and God was giving me more to do, so I had to get comfortable with going faster than I was used to, or with projects taking more time than I was used.

I had to accept the fact that I would not have all the answers, and there would be a lot of things I simply didn’t know. And it required a new level of peace. I found that there was a lot of “peace of mind” that I was giving up when I didn’t let go of worry and stress. I learned that, sometimes, I had to take control of a situation by letting it go. And “letting it go” meant giving it to God. But for certified control freaks like me, that can be an incredibly hard task. But when you do let go, there is a peace that overtakes you and will fill every facet of your life.

A Different You Pulls Out Your Best Parts

I discovered that new demands also pulled creativity out of me. When you have new and more intricate problems, you also have to get more creative about your solutions. There is a more creative person lying dormant inside of you. There’s a more mature and responsible you, a more organized you. If you continue to take on new responsibilities but refuse to grow and mature, you will soon become outdated and defeated by demands.

Once a business grows from a Mom-&-Pop style company to take on more clients, for example, they also have to hire new staff and start new systems and structures or else they will crumble under the weight of the new demands. I am learning to structure my schedule (and even my emotions!) in a more effective way, otherwise even I will crumble under the weight of this new level.

This new, different version of me is more grounded and centered. While I still enjoy laughing and having a good time (and come on, who doesn’t?), I have come to learn that leadership will sometimes isolate you. The decisions I made now affect a lot more people, so I have to be willing to not only make hard decisions but also stand by what I say. There is a lot of wisdom inside all of us, but one must be calm and sober-minded to access it. To make the best decision possible, I have to embrace a bit more solitude and find time to sit in silence.

Now, don’t get too overwhelmed and think this is the end of life as you know it (although it might be…). Rather, think of it this way: don’t worry about what you can’t have, dream of what you can have! Be it a new level of peace, a new level of influence, a broader and healthier circle of relationships. Let your previous relationships evolve as you embrace the 2.0 version of yourself! Much like First Testament Prophet Isaiah said, “Don’t even consider the former things, behold: God is doing a new thing.” You can’t continue to dwell on former things.

Remember the blessings and the lessons of the past. Keep them near and dear to you, but know when it’s time to fully embrace the demands of a different version of yourself. You’ll be better for it. Promise!