fireworks from above...

I was recently flying into Boston, it just so happened to be the 3rd of July. Upon our graceful descent, there were fireworks bursting into the sky. I had never seen fireworks from the sky, only from the ground, surrounded by sticky popcorn, crying children, and ambulances in the distance. This was a different experience all together. Each firework would burst with no ho hum, no oo's and aah's but just simple colors bursting all over the sky.

As I was watching this, I realized how much in life I approach things from only one point of view. It was done this way before, it will be done this way again. Our system has worked this way before, it will continue to operate this way as well. Office furniture (or anything in life) has always been sold and set up this way, so it should continue.

I am realizing in life and work, that approaching things from this way is not only unproductive, its just plain boring. Jumping in to work as an intern here, I have been trying to learn more and more, soaking up knowledge and business, without questioning why things are done the way they are. Why do we look up things this way? Why do our ordering cycles go this way?

Instead of challenging these things, I have fallen into the cycle of doing, without thinking about why I am doing it this way. I have been in the middle of projects and suddenly stopped and thought, 'This is taking too long this way, why not try it this other way?' Often though, the old was is comfortable and familiar, and therefore I don't change the way my project is running or step back and do the hard work of starting over from a new perspective.

I've accepted sparklers, gooey candy, and ornery children without realizing that watching fireworks from above is pretty spectacular. I've made spreadsheets, gone into meetings, and started projects from only one viewpoint, without taking a moment to sit back and challenge and ask the difficult questions.

I suppose its all part of the learning process. Not only learning about furniture and how to properly spec it, understand it, and make it better, but also about how to think and use my skills in new and more useful ways, one of those being watching fireworks from an airplane.