Introspection

Surprise, surprise, but Mr Sean McQuay, as obsessed as he is with his wife, kids, running, work, gadgets, social media streams, and current events, leaves very little time for introspection. There are simply too many shiny things to grab my attention to sit and think about my goals, my family's goals, my professional goals, etc.

I hadn't really noticed this lack until I happened to read one of those millions of posts on LinkedIn about tough interview questions or what not. [Literally, there are countless iterations on this theme, no idea why I opened this particular article] One of the questions discussed in the article is "Who is your role model?" - and this question was unique in that it completely stumped me. In gospel terms, I have solid role models whom I've looked up to for years. But the context for this question is the workplace, and I'd never given the idea of a professional role model much thought. Sure, I have "mentors" but no single 1-2 people I idolize in any sort of way. A few come to mind for their sheer awesomeness (Elon Musk and Page & Brin [Google] top that list), my dad comes to mind for a number of reasons [that's worth a whole separate blog post - but suffice it to say, I have a pretty impressive guy for a dad], but, even  if you asked me that question today, I'd stumble through a completely incoherent response.

Worse yet - the CEO interviewed for this article says this is his/her favorite question not to hear the answer itself but rather because it's a good judge of how introspective the applicant is, which he/she believes is one of the best predictors of success in the market place. Obviously, I'd like to be seen as someone with good potential in the market place, so this was something of a blow to me.

Thankfully, a couple days later Heidi and I drew straws to figure out which of us would attend the adult session of stake conference, and I had the chance to go. Not only was it a great conference for the content discussed, but also because it was a fabulous introspection time. I wrote pages of notes to myself and Heidi, on my goals and on things we needed to talk about. It was wonderful. Literally, I felt like cobwebs were being sucked out of my head.

Since then (then being a week ago yesterday), Heidi and I have been much more consciousness of this need for both of us. In addition to our couple scripture study every night we're making sure we review goals/needs and talk about a few other topics regarding our family. Our Sunday Drives had been providing this time when we had the chance to do them, but unfortunately we can't go on such a drive every Sunday, and sometimes when we do, the little ladies decide they'd rather stay awake... Which, if you've ever tried to drive with a little kid in the car, means no serious conversation for anyone. So this level of consistency has been  a new thing for us.

Already, I feel so much more aware and in control of my time and direction. I still don't have a story to deliver if someone asks me who my professional role model is, but, by golly, I'm thinking about it [read: introspecting], and that's what counts.