In all fairness to those that requested the move take place, there really was some basis of logic behind what looked like shear madness. By undertaking this relocation, the other individual involved in the exercise moved closer to his team and supervisor. While this move is definitely a win for that supervisor, in all actuality, it is far from a win for the participants. As a matter of fact, it proved less than ideal for me.
The cubical that I inherited has more than a few issues. First, it is about two-thirds as large as the one I left. Second, situated squarely in the left hand corner of the cubical is a support column for the building. Next, it is situated at the end of the cubical run and near the busiest hallway in the area. Finally, due to the placement of the lights in the ceiling, there is a continuous shadow cast upon the me from behind. With these issues, it's no wonder that the other individual kept asking those in charge of the move when it would occur.
Now clearly, I have several reasons to be upset by this move. However, rather than become irritated by the situation, I chose to look at this move from a positive light. This is a good lesson to learn. In almost any situation, there is going to be some aspect that you can grab on as positive. It might be the opportunity to learn a lesson, make a new friend, or obtain some much needed exercise. You just have to keep your eyes open and your mind receptive.
When I started to look at the situation I found myself in, it immediately became clear to me that one of the most positive aspects of this move was that it put me about 10 feet closer to the men's restroom. Now for you younger readers, this may seem a little strange. However, for those of you 40 and above, you can definitely relate to the importance of being in a place with quick access to a toilet.
Another positive was being able to wear jeans to work. Our workplace policies forbid the wearing of jeans, except on special occasions determined by our CIO or when we are involved in a move. I can tell you that it sure felt comfortable to wear jeans today!
Most important, however, the move provided me with an opportunity to start again. This included the ability to declutter. As many of you know, the longer we work somewhere, the more we accumulate. We keep telling ourselves that we are going to throw out some of our unneeded items, but time is always against us. There just never seems to be enough hours in the work day to undertake the activity. For some of us, the piles aren't that bad, but for others...well you understand. By moving to the smaller cubical, I had no choice but to go through the decluttering exercise. In the end, I definitely was better off to have gone through the effort.
Another aspect of starting again, was the opportunity to leave my bad Karma behind. I am sure that each one of you has some bad memories of events that took place in your cubical or your offices that you would just rather not remember. I definitely do. When I heard of the move, I made the determination that I would work to leave those memories behind with the previous cubical. A new space equaled a new beginning. I plan to make the most of this fresh start.
While I realize that all events in life can not be looked upon in a positive light, you really might be surprised on how few and far between these negative events are. If you just take the time to look at the situation and reflect, I know that you just might find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Sorry, couldn't resist the St. Patrick's Day reference...my family is Irish).