Dependability on the Hour

In our lifetime, we have all had moments where someone is counting on us. Whether it be a school project, a work assignment, a trip to the airport, or even just showing up on time for an event, we all have had a moment when we were needed. Some people are just not dependable though. We all have a flake in our lives. Individuals who never work their “dependability muscle” out. I am not spitting hyperbole here. Dependability can be trained. I, myself, used to always be late to everything, and while I do believe that showing up early to something is a nuance of people with a micromanaging problem, I do try to be somewhere at the time set if at all possible. However, I had to train myself to get better at getting somewhere at that perfect time. It took many trial and error attempts, and I was still labeled a guy always late to the party for years, but I did succeed at getting better at my tardiness. I am now seen as a very dependable person to be counted on. Everyone can do this. Some people are naturally dependable and don’t have to worry about it, but for those who aren’t, it is as simple as making effort to be better. It is not going to happen overnight. Most things seldom do. However, with repeated practice and some fortitude, we can all get better at being a person anyone can count on for whatever is needed. How hard you train this “muscle” is up to you though. You may not want to be the one that always has an answer to Murphy’s Law and that is fine. The least you could do though is get good enough to be able to pick someone up for a wedding that you were supposed to do karaoke for and be on time for all of it with the singing machine in hand. Of course, you only agreed to do all that because of that time you were supposed to bring the poster for that science project but forgot about it. Hopefully all will be forgiven if you were dependable enough to learn all the lyrics to Blackalicious’s Alphabet Aerobics. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

I Confess, I Messed Up

Responsibility is something we are taught from a young age. We learn that our actions have consequences and when we do something wrong or mess something up, we should own up to it. So why is it that when people begin their working careers, all that goes out the window. I am not saying everyone does this, but I can personally attest to at least 10 different instances where a co-worker of mine has screwed something up and then let the chips fall where they did instead of fessing up to the mistake and then trying to fix it. I even know of one account where the person tried to fix the mistake before it was noticed, failed, and then tried to blame it on someone else. Lack of responsibility for one’s actions is something that has led to very toxic work environments in many industries. Most of the time, it is people fearing for their jobs if they actually admit they did something wrong. My advice to bosses and work leaders out there is to allow an environment of honesty and forgiveness that makes it so that a worker will always want to own up to their mistakes and then hopefully fix said mistakes. Also, to all the workers out there, I know it can be scary to know that your job may be on the line, but honesty really is the best policy so that crap doesn’t hit the fan because no one admits what really happened. The last thing most bosses want to do is line up their workers like siblings after a broken vase and grill everyone to see where mistakes were made. If you get in front of the mistake, it is probably not as hard to fix as you think it is. In the end, we all need to work together, not just so everyone keeps their jobs, but so an environment of understanding and compassion is built instead of the cobra fangs of workplaces that exist now. We will all get paid and we will all be okay, as long as we take responsibility for everything we touch, even if we break it. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

The Dichotomy of Being Human

Humans are complex individuals. So complex, in fact, that usually by the time we become adults, we have picked our sides in beliefs. What religion we are, who we support politically, our value of life, etc. Through this, it is not an easy search to find someone who takes both paths on a fork in the road. However, I believe that if we look deeper at ourselves, we will find dichotomy. That is, a scenario where we have opposing views in our own self beliefs. For instance, I don’t think it is a stretch to find a “right to bear arms” supporter that also opposes abortion. Another instance is a person who is against illegal drugs that would not blame someone for selling their pain medication to pay their mortgage. Dichotomy, I feel, is the essence of being a human. A man or woman of many convictions is the norm. Why? Because if we fully delve into one side or the other of a bipartisan pool, we become rigid and stale as thinking beings full of character. We all have that friend who is the hardest working person we know, yet is also the silliest individual in our lives. They never miss a chance to get overtime at work, but April 1^st is their day. I am not saying that we are all Dr. Jekyll with his Mr. Hyde, but what I am saying is that a person of multiple faces is a norm that should be embraced and encouraged from a young age. Help the youth to understand that just because you feel you belong to one group, does not mean you have to believe in every message that group puts forward. That my friends is the equivalent to belonging to a cult. As I said, humans are complex, and having multiple beliefs, multiple sides of your personality – in other words, having dichotomy, is a part of that complexity, especially when those beliefs are seemingly opposing forces. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.