Passion versus Expectations — The Balancing Act
“Exciting things are happening” has been my catch phrase these days.
So what are these exciting things?
- A really spectacularly special event
- A successful Virtual Clean Up and club dive
- Skills and training progress and many lessons in managing expectations
- Redefining team diving
Phew! Tired? Yeah…me too. I’ve been busy! So let’s start at the beginning. This Thursday my scuba club will be hearing Captain Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, speak about Sea Shepherd’s latest projects. I am so excited, I can’t even handle it! Captain Watson has been a hero of mine since I can remember. He is the embodiment of standing of standing up for what you believe in and never shying away from doing hard things.
The video above discusses Captain Watson’s experience while working with Greenpeace to stop the Russian government from killing and collecting sperm whales for oils that are used in making weaponry. It is watching videos like this one, scouring for quotes and openly discussing my excitement for this meeting that reminds me and punctuates two reasons why I have such deep admiration for Captain Watson:
- If you stand for nothing, you fall for anything
- Passion. It matters.
Captain Watson plants his feet and waits for actions to speak louder than words. Standing your ground is not always easy, it is not always fun. It is important. why is he able to stand his ground? Passion. Passion gives him the resolve he needs to have the courage of his convictions. We should all be so resolute when we say we stand for something.
Needless to say, I am counting hours and minutes until our special event!
Another exciting happening: Our club came in second place for most participants registered for the Virtual Avalon Underwater Clean Up! Our club is small but mighty and I am so proud of us! As if, this is not exciting enough, we finally had a club beach dive! The weather and conditions finally submitted to my will and we had a fantastic club dive! It was a well attended, fun and relaxing dive! I loved the togetherness and community that we all shared that day, even if we were 6 feet apart.
In other news, 135 days until Fundamentals! I am no longer freaking out. I am definitely seeing improvement in my skills, which is so exciting! Without getting into the nuts and bolts, I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor! Of course, now that I am making progress, the drysuit I ordered in December will be here in 7 days and I’m sure it will take my progress with it while I adjust. Easy come, easy go. Moderate return.
Of the things I have been learning of late and the growth I have been seeing, the lesson I am most excited about is learning to redefine ‘team diving’. It is a living and breathing term. The flexibility in how team diving is defined is the key to the success of the concept. Recognizing each teammate’s strengths and weaknesses without judgement but rather as opportunities to support each other and learn from each other. This does not mean there is no accountability within team diving. It means having an honest conversation about what went well and what could be better. Everyone can do better. Everyone has bad days. It just happens. By building a team with a strong base in communication and trust, the most effective team for the objective can be built.
Overall, I am learning to manage my expectations. I am not saying to be a pessimist. Instead, keep your expectations to a conservative estimate and be thrilled when the reality exceeds that conservative estimate. As an example, do not expect that every teammate will be willing to have an open line of communication. Be happy when you find a communicative teammate. Be happy to see participation, any at all. Be thrilled when the participation is more than you could have ever thought of or expected.
As for managing my expectations for myself, well, that is an ongoing battle. I am a perfectionist. I know I am. As a matter of fact, if you know me well, this is not a surprise to you. I am a fast learner. I do not doubt my ability to learn and apply information, however, when it comes to skills, I want perfection. “Every master was once a novice”. “It is an instructor’s job to teach”. First, I must learn the skill and then practice the skill. I will get there. I have to take this skill by skill and day by day. I must also remind myself to be patient. It will come!
The lesson I take away from my recent experiences is that while managing expectations can be difficult and sometimes fruitless, if you are passionate about what you do, it works out. One way or another things just work out. For me, this means that I manage my expectation of perfection in my skills while relying on my passion to drive me to continue to do the hard work required to achieve the level of “perfection” to which I aspire. A team is supportive and understanding and works together to build each other up. Their common bond should be passion. Passion can make emotions run high, however, it can also be a unifying force for good.
Finally, I am totally fangirling over our Captain Watson special event. I guess that is not a lesson, I already knew that. Don’t mind me, I’ll be busy fangirling until at least Friday.
