Remember how to savor?

Today is my sixth Ciscoversary.

The number six holds no special meaning to me. Nor does it bear much more weight than a five. But something about this Cisco anniversary feels unique and I can't quite put my finger on it.

This afternoon, my thoughtful colleague, Nylah Williams , asked me something I had yet to ask myself:

"What would you consider to be your biggest accomplishment at Cisco?"

She added, "I’ll wait for that reply because I’m sure you’ll have to choose from so many achievements!"

She wasn't wrong. And probably not in the way you'd expect.

I put on my denim Cisco Webex baseball hat, grabbed a leash, and took my dog on a sunny walk to ponder.

One thing you should know about me: I'm just not the type to pat my own back. I'd easily toast someone else in a heartbeat. Anyone else but me.

But I'm learning about this new thing in therapy: Savoring.

Savoring is kind of like how my four-year-old pup likes to stop walking and chew her training treat.

These days, I walk with a San Francisco-speed gait, complete with Formula 1-inspired overtaking and hairpin turns. I can get frustrated with her pit stops at times.

But she rarely trots and chomps. "Rue, can't you walk and chew?"

But life is short.

And so are Trader Joe's Just Salmon Skin baked dog treats. In 2023, it's hard to carve out time to savor anything!

I'm going to attempt to follow Rue's lead, savor the moment, and answer Nylah's question.

As I cruised my neighborhood, my mind was flooded. The first accomplishment felt small but mighty: I was walking my dog.

Between edits and meetings and emails, oh my. On a Monday!

"2020 Tyler could never," I thought. "But 2020 Tyler also had a makeshift bed desk with pillows and a bamboo bathtub caddy, so a lot has changed."

In fact, my work-life boundaries have drastically transformed over the last three years, let alone six. Dedicating more of my Outlook calendar to fun, fitness, and what used to feel like frivolous walkies feels like a radical act of self-compassion.

Alas, the next thing that hit me: My workaholism has evolved.

In the pandemic, I leaned into work and upskilling just as much as I leaned into homemade palomas, binge-watching Bravo, and cheering on my favorite teams despite the eerily empty stadiums and circuits.

It's taken me years to undo what I thought was just a Capricorn trait.

I don't always have to be on. In fact, my mental health went to pieces because I did. 2021 I overworked as a crutch during my depression, anxiety, grief, a move, a breakup, and in the face of the powerlessness of living in a global pandemic.

I called Employee Assistance Program and haven't looked back. And I'll shout about mental health and the benefits of therapy until I go hoarse.

Brevity is usually my thing, but I'm not succeeding here.

What are the three last things I'll shout out about from my six years here?

Volunteering. Broadening your Ciscoverse. And taking big scary risks.

I wouldn't have found the mighty Employee Communications team had I not volunteered with my friend Jerome J. Sanders . Or met brilliant friends, including D'Auria H. , Latisha Scarborough , Liam Paschall , and Florent Dalencourt .

He introduced me to his then-manager who was in need of, you guessed it, an editor. After applying, I met my current manager, Caryl Kruse , who has changed my life with her leadership, compassion, and friendship.

Every day, I get the opportunity to help our Employee Communications shine and work with incredible leaders like Ellen Griley and Lisa Rich .

Somehow, nearly five years into the role, I still feel like the luckiest gal alive.

In late 2019, I felt brave enough to apply to my first internal side gig. I nervously interviewed with Mark J. Murphy and Maulie D. and had the honor of joining Cisco's PRIDE as their Global Comms Lead as my first stretch assignment... right before the world shut down.

From designing a Degreed pathway around inclusion and allyship to directing our former CFO in a Webex video shoot, this stretch assignment was one of the proudest moments of my career.

And I've since had the chance to join another stretch assignment with Maulie D. on Cisco's Inclusive Language team.

One piece of advice? If you ever have a chance to work with Anne Gentle , Alyssa O. , Joan Sherlock , Nikita T. Mitchell , Jerome J. Sanders , or Maulie: Say yes.

That goes for Emily Kim , too.

In 2022, I had to admit I can't do my entire job myself and have a life. Putting my workaholism aside meant raising my hand for help. So I applied to hire my first intern.

Emily taught me so much about writing, editing, leadership, baking exquisite desserts, and just being a better human. It was the first time in my role that I could step away and forget about work on my vacation.

Thanks to her, I knew I could be a manager someday. And today I'm embarking on that nascent journey. (And learning to take more vacations.)

To summarize, this Ciscoversary, I'm proud I've:

1. Embraced the impromptu walkies. After some work on boundaries, no calendaring or alerting my entire team is necessary for leaving my house for 15-30 minutes. Heck, I even go to afternoon yoga and occasionally go out on "school nights." Who am I?
2. Ditched the whole "more is more" concept of success. Now I define my own idea of success. ("What is Success?" is one of my favorite Allen Toussaint jams, but it's forever a work in progress. I can tell you my definition has more heavy helpings of relearning what fun is and staying close to the work I find rewarding these days.)
3. Went off into the world! Did good! Met strangers! You never know what lifelong friends you'll make. Or, in my case, what dream job you'll discover.
4. Tried the intimating things I didn't believe I could do. Especially when people who are smarter than you are involved.
5. Raised my hand for help. Delegation actually isn't a bad word. And it opens the door to diverse hiring, stronger collaboration, and more robust innovation and creativity. Emerging talent can be reverse mentorship. It can turn your entire worldview upside down in the best way possible!

TL;DR: Remember to stop and savor.

Especially these fleeting milestones ...and delicious freeze-dried salmon skins.