Above all else

Every year, most of us go through a performance appraisal at work. We recount all the things we did great, and the things that were not so great. But that's just the lookback. Appraisal time is also about what comes next - what's our potential, and what self-improvement is needed to fulfil that potential.  At some point though, more and more of us will actually get closer and closer to that potential, especially as we get older. I am a firm believer in the growth mindset propounded by the psychologist Carol Dweck. But still, there are limits.  There are some jobs in my workplace that I am highly unlikely to be able to do well, just because I don't have the talent or time to put in the work to get good at them. I can be better than I am today, but I think it's also fair to assume that I will never be a NBA basketball player, mathematics professor or Chinese poet. Also, even if we think we can grow into various other roles, whether upwards or laterally, our bosses may not...

I remember being a relatively small kid, such that the teachers used to line me up near the front of the class, though a late and rapid growth spurt in my late teens (and later on, even through Army days) meant that I ended up being fairly tall, but still at the front of the class at assembly. I notice the same is happening with my son - he's past 18, and has just recently sprouted up even more! Being tall has a couple of advantages. It makes me handy as the resident light bulb changer and ceiling fan cleaner for one thing (though I hope to handover to my son soon!). The other thing of course, is that I get to see over crowds, which has been helpful at various stages of my life, like peeking over the tops of other parents' heads to spot my kids when picking them up from school, and conversely being extra visible to my kids when they need to find me in a crowd :) But just yesterday at church, I happened to sit behind a really tall guy. He must have been 6 1/2 feet tall or more, ...