have to be said, but we all need to take some time to remind ourselves to not
be an asshole.
be an asshole. Say what's on your mind all the time, no filters, do whatever
you want and not care about the thoughts or feelings of others. Being an
asshole is liberating and there are times in life where it should be the
perfect option for what's on deck. Yet, some of us are too comfortable living
in this world and we find ourselves punching the asshole card way too often.
picking up my niece for a week of fun in Texas. I fly up to Chicago, pick her
up and fly back with her to Texas all in one day. This morning I only got two
hours sleep prior to having to be at the airport at 5:30am. For some reason my
brain wouldn't switch off and I couldn't fall asleep. We've all been there. The
famous last words of "I'll get some sleep on the plane" seemed to
bring me some false comfort.
waiting for my section to get called up; a man dragging all of his stuff behind
him on his roller bag yelled "watch your toes" while zooming passed
me. I'd been sitting there for 10 min. I got to the airport early, like a smart
traveler, but this guy didn't say "excuse me" or "I'm
sorry", but instead shouted "watch your toes". Hearing this,
after only two hours sleep, made me think that this guy doesn't know how big of
an asshole he is. Put it on me to watch
out for him? I need to watch MY
toes? What about YOUR bag? Or YOUR
choice of words? Glad I got to the airport
when I was supposed to so my toes could meet up with the wheels on your roller
bag!
boarded, I realized I was seated across the aisle from this guy. Adding to his
already obvious asshole behavior, he proceeded to remove his shoes as he sat
down! Want more? Ok, it's now 6:30am and as everyone sat down,
fluffed their pillows and got ready to do what I was about to do-sleep. What
did this asshole do? Something that no
other person wanted to do on this plane-he opened the shade to let the sunlight
in. Oblivious to the world around him, a
plane full of sleepy passengers, 6:30am and this guy wants to absorb some
vitamin D.
Ass.
has been an asshole his entire life and has no idea how to deviate from this
behavior? Like Steve Martin in the Jerk
or Jim Carey in pretty much every movie, he goes from moment to moment
constantly doing the most inappropriate thing,
Just oblivious to the real world while continuing to disregard any
feelings or concerns of others. Yes, his ignorance must be liberating, but I
can't imagine he lives a happy life filled with tolerant people that embrace
his inability to read a room.
#Tryharder lesson in all of this? (Besides
the fact that I should have tried harder to sleep the night before?) Be aware
that you may be the asshole in the room. Take inventory on the situations you
find yourself in and apply some energy towards being emotionally intelligent to
the immediate world around you.
never suggest that you conform to the world, but certainly be aware that your
asshole behavior might not be tolerated by others and the guy that got his toes
rolled over might soon have his foot buried in your ass.
head out of your ass before a foot joins it.
professional. Like many of you, I would
welcome having a big fancy title, huge corner office or become the owner of
something successful and profitable. Watching my professional worth accumulate while
my bank account grows would be an amazing thing and I hope that it happens
someday. Big professional and financial
goals, along with many smaller ones, are always good to have.
day does it? Years from now, nobody will
care about your fancy title. Yes, money affords certain opportunities and gives
you the ability to spoil yourself and others in your life. Money helps you
experience certain things and possibly opens a few doors for you along the way.
After you die, nobody will say "that guy was well respected and loved
because of all that money". Maybe one guy will? The guy that you leave it
all to. (Pick me!)
person you were to others and not how you flexed your wallet. This entry isn't about how you should get rid
of your worldly possessions or join a cult. (Pretty sure Dave Ramsey doesn't
read my blog) Although, if you are rich and looking for someone to leave it to;
give it to me. I assure you, I will know how to enjoy your money more than you
do. I can do "rich" better
than anyone I know! I promise you!
This #Tryharder entry is about being great at something
real. What REAL things are you great at?
What contributions are you making to others, not necessarily the world,
that will make them better for having known you? Yes, I want to leave a stack
of cash for my wife and kids when I die, but I also want to give them tools of
betterment. I want them to be good to people. To care. To contribute to life
outside of their bubble and to give back to those who have done right by them.
They need to climb high, but never forget to reach out to the person behind
them and give assistance. In addition, not be resentful to those who did not show
them the same courtesy.
If the big greyhound bus of death has your name on it and
you get creamed tomorrow what, besides a fat insurance check, do you have to
show for your efforts? What seeds have
you planted and how will your legacy be shared by others you influenced along
the way? Were you great at something
real? Did you contribute anything real?
If you cannot think of one non-monetary contribution to your circle of
influence, then you need to reconsider a few things in your life and possibly
work on becoming a more complete individual. Also, make sure many, if not most,
of your contributions are selfless.
Be a great friend. A great teacher. A great student. A
great father, mother, brother or sister. Don't pass on opportunities where you
could have made a difference, even if that moment might bring you pain or cost
you monetarily in the process. You will never have "enough" money and
frankly you shouldn't be justifying or measuring what is the right thing to do, based on what's in your pocket. The only thing that money and being real have
in common is that you should always want more for yourself and others. Just
remember that contributions are always better than currency.
Truth be told, it’s not an easy thing to put your heart on
your sleeve a couple of times a month and share thoughts and feelings with the
world; or at least to those who have the time to click the link to the blogs I
post. I don’t always share intimate
feelings or deep dark secrets, but the act of sharing your perspective or
beliefs with the world can be terrifying to some. Putting your ideas out there
can be challenging. I do take the time
to write and rewrite some of my opinions and thoughts, but not for the reason
of worrying about offending people that read my entries. My rewrites are done to make sure that the
reader understands the true meaning behind the words. Also, because my grammar sucks and I do my best
to clean up as many mistakes as my state college education allows. One day, I hope to make it big so I can pay
someone to make me look smarter! Authors
and journalists have editors, I have spellcheck.
things I write and say. I do care,
because I want to make an impact in your life or plant a seed to encourage you
to think or respond in a certain way.
#Tryharder. I don’t care if I
offend, anger or make your eyes roll because you think differently. It’s your choice to read these chapters I post
and I am not forcing you to do anything.
I do not allow others to force me into changing the style or passion in
the way I write. I am who I am. Warts, moles and freckles and I show that
same respect to others. I respect
opinions. Even the ones I don’t agree
with.
offended. They feel that they cannot be
sensitive to the world if they have thick skin, so they look to be
bothered. These same people rarely offer
up their opinion, but rather wait to argue with someone who has already shared
theirs. It’s safer to be a critic than
it is to be a seed planter of thoughts. People
with carefully calculated responses often just pick things apart and offer up
very little when it comes to the betterment of others. You want to be “right” and “win” the
discussion and you care very little about the most important part-the takeaway.
Maybe I’m different? Yes, I want a
solution, but I look to take something away from every discussion I am involved
with. I’m perfectly fine with being
offended and “wrong” as long as we get to where we need to go. I don’t need to win.
people to think of a better way or consider altering the course for the
betterment of others by digging a little deeper. Trying harder. By sharing my thoughts and stories, I hope to
plant seeds of consideration and give others an opportunity to do the same. I’m honest about my life and the scars that I
carry are the foundation of almost all of my chapters. If I, a simple kid from a small town in Texas
with a state college education and limited editing skills, can honestly push out
thoughts and feelings into the world and get 10s of thousands of people to read
them-then you can do the same. You don’t
have to influence tribes of people, but you should want to make a difference
somewhere. If my blogs don’t do it, then
perhaps the pictures of terrible parking jobs will help to alter the behavior
of others?
yourself and others to leave as much of “you” (your contributions and
perspective) behind for people to learn from.
Maybe I am different? I don’t
expect others to be like me. I am not
trying to lead an army of like-minded people and I don’t see myself as anything
more than who I am. Yet, having
experienced what I have experienced in life, I would like to think I have
something to offer the rest of the world.
You too have a unique perspective.
Not every blog or life lesson that I offer is a homerun and I don’t
expect it to be. I’m just trying to get
you to #Tryharder a few times a month. Nothing
major, but maybe just enough to get you to plant seeds of your own for others
to benefit from.