Throughout the course of my working life, I have come to realize that
one of the most important things in getting anything moving is
motivation. Motivation represents a measurable increase in both job
satisfaction and productivity. The motivated worker does his job better
and likes it more than those folks who are not so motivated. I met up
with a close friend recently for drinks and as the night wore on, he
began to lament the plight of his working life:
“Hey Art, I feel like I’m stuck and not going anywhere. I had thought
leaving the old company and taking on this new role in XXX would have
stirred things up a notch and made me noticed….but I’m still the guy
who gets passed on. Damn it.”
In between burps and sneaking glances at the voluptuous lady sitting
two tables away from me, I decided he needed some cheering up and thus
so put on my motivational speaker hat and started to spout the first
things that came to mind.
You see, I have had the pleasure of knowing Jesse for close to three
quarters of my life, and I pretty much know what he is about. He has
always been a quiet one. One who simply goes with the flow, easy going
and introverted.
He simply nodded his head when I proceeded to tell him what his problem is.
“You need to form your own opinions man, you need to stand up for
yourself and stand by your decisions. You need to speak up and not be
afraid of ridicule. Don’t keep saying yes, don’t keep letting things
slide. Take control, grab the bull by the horns and quit letting it
always turn around to kick you in the nuts.”
This week, on a somewhat parallel track, I seek to be an emotional and
motivational compass directing countless men, women and children
towards their potential and possibilities for personal growth at the
workplace, success and inner peace. I shall attempt to dip my toes into the murky
depths of motivational speaking, hoping that the ripples that resonate
would be able to reach your ears. **
Oscar Wilde once said:
“Most people are other people.
Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,
their lives a mimicry,
their passions a quotation.”
A seemingly simple sentence which yet holds so deep and profound a
meaning.
I have found this quote to be extremely quoteworthy. It has come to define who I am as a person. Too many of us go by in our daily working lives without
forming our own opinions, our own ideas, and our own points of view. We
are too caught up in thinking what other people would think of us, that
we relegate our thoughts, our ideas and our opinions into the back of
our minds, never to see the light of day for fear of ridicule or
non-acceptance. We have failed to understand there is no right point of
view, or wrong point of view, there is only a personal point of view.
We have failed to comprehend that a good idea is an idea that actually
happens and that if an idea is not taken up and used as a solution to a
problem it has no value. We have failed to pick up that our thoughts
make us who we are, and not just another clone in the endless sea of
repressed and afraid minds who simply nod or shake their heads in
unison, depending on which way the current flows.
Take a look into the mirror today; is this how you look like?
If so, you might want to change your look today ... wool's out, chiffron's the in-thing this season.
By the way last I checked, Jesse got fired from his job. I heard from a reliable
source it had something to do with grabbing his boss’s toupee and
kicking him in the balls.
Arthur
*All names, places, events and information have been changed to protect the identity of everyone concerned.
** Or it could just be that I have nothing more intelligent to say this week with regards to PEE-ing.
*** No toupees were harmed in the making of this entry