Skip to main content

Era

Everybody’s talking about their era these days. That’s cute. Eras are just seasons. They pass.

But me?

I’ve been thinking about eras… and periods of time.


And periods? Those get remembered. Studied. Named in the history books.

The Jurassic Period. The Renaissance Period.

The You Tried Me for the Last Time Period.


I went through my Let Them era.


I let them.

Thank you, Mel Robbins, for this.

I didn’t know how much I needed to let them.


I let them talk about me.

I let them doubt me.

I let them take my energy.

I let them and now I need to let me.


So is this a new era?

No.

Because this isn’t just a period of time this is my time.

This is my Periodt. Period.


Not just a phase.

Not just an era.

A full stop. A line drawn.

An unshakable boundary that says, This is where I stand, and I’m not moving.


No more fuzzy boundaries Periodt.

No more unchecked micro aggressions Periodt.

I have already let them, so now I’m here to remind them who I am Periodt.

My peace is non-negotiable Periodt.


I am no longer the team’s unofficial Office Comfort Coordinator. I am not here to preface every truth with a sugar cube, or to take on emotional bubble wrapping as a core responsibility. I am not adjusting my tone so you can receive feedback without feeling the sting of reality.


Here’s the thing about boundaries they are not up for peer review. They’re not a group project. They are, by design, selfish in the best possible way. My boundaries are not a punishment they are protection. Protection of my peace, my focus, my mental bandwidth, and yes, even my ability to still care about the work.


And let’s talk about that for a second because peace is not a luxury in the workplace, it’s fuel. You cannot show up with creativity, clarity, or leadership if you are constantly being drained by “Can you just…” requests that aren’t in your scope.


Not anymore.


The truth is, a lot of us especially those of us who are naturally empathetic, solution-oriented, and dependable have been conditioned to believe that the work is only good if everyone feels good. But that’s not the job. The job is to perform your role well, not to manage the emotional weather patterns of your coworkers.


Oh, and speaking of showing up for yourself  I had a leader tell me “this year, I want you to put your mask on first. You can’t help others if you can’t breathe.”


Wait what???


Periodt.


So, here’s my new policy

I will meet my deadlines, not your unspoken expectations Periodt.

I will protect my peace like it’s part of my benefits package Periodt.

I will help you grow, but not at the cost of my own growth Periodt.

I will not be guilted into over functioning just because I’m capable Periodt.

I will say “No” in full sentences, without an essay of justification Periodt.


And yes I am fully aware that setting these boundaries will make some people uncomfortable. That’s not a side effect, that’s a sign it’s working. Boundaries are not built for the people who respect them, they are built for the ones who try to test them.


So if you think I’ve changed, you’re right. If you think I’m colder, maybe. If you think I’m not as available as I used to be congratulations, you’re paying attention.


This isn’t me being mean. This is me being done with pretending that my role at work is to make everyone else’s role easier while mine gets heavier.


You can call it selfish. I call it sustainable. I said what I said.


My Periodt. Period


ღ Chi


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hit the Damn Reset Button. Your Brain is Begging You To

Let’s get real for a minute we are not robots. We are not meant to grind for eight plus hours a day, five days a week, fueled by caffeine and denial, pretending Teams notifications aren’t slowly eating our souls. Yet here we are burnt out, over-meetinged, and holding it together with the classic “Sorry, I was on mute.”  Newsflash : it is not fine. Think of it like restarting your Wi-Fi when the connection sucks. You don’t just keep hitting refresh you unplug it, wait ten seconds, and let it reboot. Your brain needs the same damn courtesy.  You are not broken you are just overdue for a mental reset. And what the hell is a mental reset, anyway? It’s not a vacation (though those help). It’s not quitting your job in a blaze of glory (tempting, I know). A mental reset is a pause.. short or long…that gives your brain room to breathe, stretch, and stop spiraling into existential dread every time someone says, “Quick question…”  Let’s blame hustle culture for making breaks feel l...
2 comments
Read more

Expectation Bomb

I want to talk about the expectation bomb. Do you know it? Clearly stated, uncommunicated expectations are pre planned resentments. (say it again for the people in the back)  And if you are clutching your pearls at that, you are probably the one who needed to hear it. We have all been there, seething quietly because someone should have known what we needed, expected, or assumed was obvious. But guess what? They did not know. People are not mind readers. They are just trying to survive their own calendar full of back to back Teams meetings, a hundred unread emails, and Susan from comp asking just one quick thing. Here is the truth, expecting people to magically meet standards you never actually told them about is a recipe for disaster. And it is not just annoying; it is toxic. It is workplace sabotage disguised as professionalism. Want that report done your way? Say so. Hoping for help on a project? Ask for it. Need your boss to actually give you real feedback instead of vague thumb...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fuel The Flame

Forget the org chart. Toss the employee handbook. There is a raw, unscripted kind of magic at work no one tells you about. It is not necessarily your boss or your direct report it is your ride or die. This is the one who speaks your chaos fluently, deciphers your frantic shorthand like it is poetry, and fires back a "YUP. Saw that too" Teams message before you exhale.  They are the voice defending you in rooms you will never enter.  They are not just supportive they are catalytic. Throw you two in a room and you can’t be tamed. You bring the fuel they bring the detonator. Kaboom. This is not about climbing ladders it is about lighting up the hallway as you walk it.    Whether they are on your team or in another department, they are the one who sees your vision, challenges your ideas into something sharper, and tells you do it when you float something wild. They do not slow you down  they set you on fire (in the best way). You will know your ride or die when your...
Post a Comment
Read more