Growing up, there are a number of activities that, quite frankly, were not very exciting — cleaning the room, folding laundry. Things that never disappear entirely but do become more tolerable. As an adolescent, though, there was only one word to describe how I felt about these little, unending maintenance activities: Hate.
However, whenever I made the mistake of saying that specific word out loud at home, I always received the same response from a seasoned parent: “You don’t hate it. You strongly dislike it.” My parents were trying to make a distinction I had yet to understand. They were trying to show me there was a difference in the significance of the word hate and all its synonyms.
But, honestly — what’s the difference? After all, they may be different words, hate and dislike, but they express the same feeling. The feeling doesn’t change. Lately, I have been revisiting this idea. Because there’s something that wasn’t an issue until now. I've realized I hate working remote.
There is something comforting about a defined morning routine. The drive to the office, followed by the crucial cup of Keurig coffee. Setting up the laptop and preparing for the day. These activities are energizing. I have prepared for work. I am at work. It is time to work.
But waking up and being just a few moments from the kitchen table, only to be restricted to a sad little desktop screen… where are my dual monitors? Then, an excel file that was never closed, because yesterday turned into today with no apparent separation. No drive back from the office. No changing into something more comfortable. This is not right. I strongly dislike this. In fact, I dare say I hate it.
As I have dug in, that subtle distinction between hate and dislike is becoming clearer. Hate carries a sense of permanence. Hate is more final. Hate is so unbearable that it controls us. But hate is also a decision. How we approach that moment between hate and dislike is where we can assert control.
So, I made the decision not to hate, but to strongly dislike. I also decided to change a few things in my control. I moved my "desk" to a separate room. The coffee maker runs in the morning. Files are officially closed out at the end of the day. And, strangely, I don’t mind it. I find myself even starting to like this remote thing. Dislike can be dealt with.
All that to say – things right now are challenging and my minor battle with working remote is so unimportant. Clients are mobilizing to a remote workforce, attempting to avoid disruptions in operations, and, most importantly, working to ensure the safety of personnel. HORNE was blessed to have an infrastructure in place that has allowed us to transition so efficiently to be able to continue to serve and support our clients during this process.
I am committing to the mindset shift of staying positive and controlling what can be controlled — no more hate. I would encourage you to look for the positive right now and ask yourself where a mindset shift might be helpful in your life and where you can make small changes to remove the hate.