"I can't keep up!" - Turning Discomfort into Personal Growth in a Fast-Paced World (Presented at SQLBits on March 17th, 2023) Do you sometimes think the world is moving so fast that you're struggling to keep up? Does it make you feel a little uncomfortable? Awesome! That means that you have ambitions. You want to learn new things, take that next step in your career, achieve your goals. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. It just might not be easy. All growth requires some discomfort. You need to manage and balance that discomfort, find a way to push yourself a little bit every day without feeling overwhelmed. In a fast-paced world, you need to know how to break down your goals into smaller chunks, how to prioritize, and how to optimize your learning. Are you ready to turn your "I can't keep up" into "I can't believe I did all of that in just one year"?

1. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
I can't keep up!
Turning Discomfort into Personal
Growth in a Fast-Paced World
Cathrine Wilhelmsen
SQLBits 2023 · March 17th

2. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

3. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
World
moving
too fast?

4. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Feeling a little
uncomfortable?

5. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Awesome!

6. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
That means you
have ambitions

7. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
You can do
anything!

8. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
It just might
not be easy...

9. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
…because all growth
requires discomfort
(unfortunately)

10. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
I can't keep up!
Turning Discomfort into Personal
Growth in a Fast-Paced World
Cathrine Wilhelmsen
SQLBits 2023 · March 17th

11. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
@cathrinew
cathrinew.net

12. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Rewind
2023

13. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Rewind
2012

14. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Launch of SQL Server 2012

15. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Main Features of SQL Server 2012
Database Engine
Integration Services
Analysis Services
Reporting Services

16. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Learning SQL Server 2012

17. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Fast Forward
2012

18. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Fast Forward
2023

19. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

20. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

21. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

22. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

23. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Stop

24. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Breathe

25. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
You can't keep up
with everything

26. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
None of us can :)

27. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

28. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

29. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

30. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

31. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

32. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

33. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

34. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

35. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

36. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

37. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

38. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

39. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
A little discomfort every day
might feel like
Very little progress every day

40. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
A little discomfort every day
turns into
A lot of growth in a year

41. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
1. Prioritize

42. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
What do you
want to learn?
Power BI Power Apps Databricks Azure Synapse
SQL Server 2022

43. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
What do you
need to learn?
Power BI Power Apps Databricks Azure Synapse
SQL Server 2022

44. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
What do you
need to learn now?
Azure Synapse
SQL Server 2022 Power BI Power Apps Databricks

45. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
2. Break Down Goals

46. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Define milestones and tasks
Understand concepts?
Configure basics?
Optimize performance?
(* no estimation necessary 😅)

47. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Block out your calendar
1 hour per day?
4 hours per week?
1 day per month?

48. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Stay focused
Work on single tasks
Remove distractions
Stop when time is up

49. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
3. Optimize Learning

50. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Taking in new information
Reading?
Watching?
Listening?

51. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Memorizing?
Replicating?
Practicing?

52. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Deeper understanding of knowledge
Discussing?
Blogging?
Speaking?

53. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Input Output

54. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Start Today!

55. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
SQLBits 2023 Challenge
1. Pick one session you know nothing about (yet!)
2. Focus 100% on learning as much as possible
3. Share something you learned
@SQLBits #SQLBits #SQLBits2023

56. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

57. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
One step at a time
Celebrate each of your wins
Actively reflect on how far you've come
Remember…

58. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

59. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

60. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)

61. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
Just stay in your comfort zone for a while
Just get through the day
Just breathe
It's ok to…

62. © 2023 Cathrine Wilhelmsen (hi@cathrinew.net)
You’ve got this!
hi@cathrinew.net
@cathrinew
cathrinew.net
Feedback, please? :)
https://sqlb.it/?9204