Mr. Gilbertie wrote that strange combination of letters on the dry erase board in micro-economics class one day and posed the question, "Any one know what that means?" Then he curled his lips into a wry smile partially obscured by his magnificent mustache, "Anyone?" We students sat in silence knowing that he was about to explain a new concept that we would be tested on in some formidable pop quiz. "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". In my head I caught myself thinking, "Ain't ain't a word!" Mr. Gilbertie, oblivious to his egregious grammatical error, proceeded to explain success, work ethic and various other life principles that were always woven into his lessons about supply and demand graphs, capitalism and Adam Smith.
In that classroom, I connected with that acronym. I was very blessed growing up, my parents and grandparents were of the old school variety, valuing hard work and the good old fashioned tenacity of the American Spirit. I felt like I understood TANSTAAFL. Since that day in economics class, it has become apparent that I did not really understand it as well I as I thought. I assumed that because this acronym was used in economics class, it pertained to money. Somewhere, the connection of TANSTAAFL to life was disrupted.
This topic came up in the last few days because I applied for a position at work that will be coming available soon. The last time I filled out a resume was when I applied for this job nearly four years ago. So I asked a few other guys I work with, who are also applying for said position, if I could take a look at their resumes to get some ideas on formatting and what is important to include.
One look at those resumes and I knew that my chances of getting this position were greatly diminished. On paper, these guys blow me out of the water. In person and actual quality of work, I think the playing field is much more even. Unfortunately, I think this position will go to the person with the most lines on his/her resume and the most time on the job. Meaning I do not think I really stand a chance, but I applied anyway.
After realizing how lame my resume appears and how much time I have left in my career, I decided that now is the time to start pursuing some things. A phone call to a person who was very influential in my life for about 6 months, a talk with a supervisor about a few things, and TANSTAAFL popped into my head.
There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
If I want to try some other things out in my career, if I want some specialized training, if I want to improve my work quality, no one else is going to give it to me. I have to step up and volunteer for things. I have to work a little extra to pursue training on my own. I have to put myself in positions in order to make a difference and become "known". That's how I get what I want out of this career. Nobody is going to give me a damn thing. No Free Lunch! If I want it, I'll ask for it. If that doesn't work, I'll demand it. Still not enough? I'll show you why your making a big mistake for not giving it to me.
I'm coming to get my lunch.
Do work son.
-dg
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Who You Are vs. What You Do. (#11)
So I fell off the horse and missed a blog last week. I have had a concept rolling around in my head for a long time and last week I decided I wanted to blog about it. In my opinion, knowing your identity is very important.
I guess I should throw in a disclaimer. Considering that I am male, and therefore all my experiences which dictate my opinions are from the male perspective, this blog may only mean anything to males.
In my line of work there is a lot of machoism. In fact, in my family there is a lot of machoism. I was raised around construction workers and spent most of my childhood picking up nails, stepping on nails, picking up scrap wood and smashing my fingers with framing hammers around beer swilling, beam lifting, hard working manly men. I should have known then I would enter a career path where you are measured by how willing you are to "be a man". Jump into the fights, show up to help your co-workers out and never turn from the scary, the difficult or the messy.
I have noticed, unfortunately, that a large number of males in my workplace are not secure in their self-identity as "men". That is not a reference to sexuality. It means that there is a validation that they missed out on as a young man. In most cultures, there is a defining moment when a boy becomes a man. After that moment, the boys are treated as men. We do not really have that in the American culture anymore.
Luckily, I had an experience where my dad called me out and said, "From now on you are a man." I was no longer just a 16 year old. I was treated like a man. Allowed to make my own decisions and held responsible for those decisions. As a result, I do not feel like I have to do anything to prove my manhood to anyone. My father recognized it and validated it. Done.
All my life experiences, the choices I have made and the principles my parents instilled in me created my character. Those things define who I am. Not the job I chose. Not the amount of fights I have fought. Not the sports I play. Not the art I create. Not the instruments I play. Who you are should not be defined by what you do. What you do should be enhanced by who you are.
I believe that knowing who you are increases your ability to process what is going on in your life. It makes it ok when you realize that you can not control anyone or anything but your self. I choose to perform what I do with honor and respect. The way my dad taught me to live, that is who I am.
What I do sometimes calls for me to physically control people. The way I do that is determined by who I am. When I gain control of a person, there is no need to belittle them. To trash talk and act like the toughest guy in the world. That does nothing for me. However, if a person is defined by what they do, then every time they accomplish a task, they do everything they can to show how good they are. Calling out to any one around to validate them as a person, as a man.
As I write this, I do not really know where to go from here. I guess I just want to say that I hope you fathers out there will validate your boys. Teach them what it means to be a man, to be a warrior. Being a warrior is not always about beating people up. It is about not ever giving up, taking responsibility for your decisions and treating everyone with respect. Do what you enjoy. Learn to appreciate the "artsy" stuff. Some of the toughest warriors in history did things often considered "not manly". Samurai studied poetry, King David played the harp.
Who you are should enhance what you do and what you do should not define who you are. Make sense?
-dg
I guess I should throw in a disclaimer. Considering that I am male, and therefore all my experiences which dictate my opinions are from the male perspective, this blog may only mean anything to males.
In my line of work there is a lot of machoism. In fact, in my family there is a lot of machoism. I was raised around construction workers and spent most of my childhood picking up nails, stepping on nails, picking up scrap wood and smashing my fingers with framing hammers around beer swilling, beam lifting, hard working manly men. I should have known then I would enter a career path where you are measured by how willing you are to "be a man". Jump into the fights, show up to help your co-workers out and never turn from the scary, the difficult or the messy.
I have noticed, unfortunately, that a large number of males in my workplace are not secure in their self-identity as "men". That is not a reference to sexuality. It means that there is a validation that they missed out on as a young man. In most cultures, there is a defining moment when a boy becomes a man. After that moment, the boys are treated as men. We do not really have that in the American culture anymore.
Luckily, I had an experience where my dad called me out and said, "From now on you are a man." I was no longer just a 16 year old. I was treated like a man. Allowed to make my own decisions and held responsible for those decisions. As a result, I do not feel like I have to do anything to prove my manhood to anyone. My father recognized it and validated it. Done.
All my life experiences, the choices I have made and the principles my parents instilled in me created my character. Those things define who I am. Not the job I chose. Not the amount of fights I have fought. Not the sports I play. Not the art I create. Not the instruments I play. Who you are should not be defined by what you do. What you do should be enhanced by who you are.
I believe that knowing who you are increases your ability to process what is going on in your life. It makes it ok when you realize that you can not control anyone or anything but your self. I choose to perform what I do with honor and respect. The way my dad taught me to live, that is who I am.
What I do sometimes calls for me to physically control people. The way I do that is determined by who I am. When I gain control of a person, there is no need to belittle them. To trash talk and act like the toughest guy in the world. That does nothing for me. However, if a person is defined by what they do, then every time they accomplish a task, they do everything they can to show how good they are. Calling out to any one around to validate them as a person, as a man.
As I write this, I do not really know where to go from here. I guess I just want to say that I hope you fathers out there will validate your boys. Teach them what it means to be a man, to be a warrior. Being a warrior is not always about beating people up. It is about not ever giving up, taking responsibility for your decisions and treating everyone with respect. Do what you enjoy. Learn to appreciate the "artsy" stuff. Some of the toughest warriors in history did things often considered "not manly". Samurai studied poetry, King David played the harp.
Who you are should enhance what you do and what you do should not define who you are. Make sense?
-dg
Thursday, June 3, 2010
iMac (#10)
Post #10, the first post from our new computer. Michelle and I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a desktop computer. I really do not know why we resisted for so long. Maybe it was my way of being ready to move at a moments notice. Not feeling comfortable with things that have semi-permanent psyche.
Our laptop, a 5 year old 15" Powerbook, has done an outstanding job as our main computing machine. It even handled Lightroom and Photoshop CS4 processes, not fast mind you, but handled them. Once we started getting excited about the possibilities available with the new iPad, thanks in a large part to our good friend Jesse Rosten, we looked into picking one up. Looking closer at the system requirements, it became clear that our laptop would not be able to sync. If you are syncing with Mac, it needs an Intel chip.
That's not the first time I have not been able to do something because my computer was getting too old and decrepit, so we went all out. My face is being light up by a 27" iMac screen that takes approximately .5 seconds for my eyes to travel from one side to the other and it is glorious! It makes me wonder why we waited so long to do this. My neck and back no longer hurt from leaning forward in order to view the screen and the photos look amazing on here! I can not wait to get some new shots to edit. In fact, I may have to revisit some old edits and see if I can't improve on them now that I can see details.
Work time is quickly approaching, so I must head off, but I'll leave you with a photo comparison of the old and new.
Our laptop, a 5 year old 15" Powerbook, has done an outstanding job as our main computing machine. It even handled Lightroom and Photoshop CS4 processes, not fast mind you, but handled them. Once we started getting excited about the possibilities available with the new iPad, thanks in a large part to our good friend Jesse Rosten, we looked into picking one up. Looking closer at the system requirements, it became clear that our laptop would not be able to sync. If you are syncing with Mac, it needs an Intel chip.
That's not the first time I have not been able to do something because my computer was getting too old and decrepit, so we went all out. My face is being light up by a 27" iMac screen that takes approximately .5 seconds for my eyes to travel from one side to the other and it is glorious! It makes me wonder why we waited so long to do this. My neck and back no longer hurt from leaning forward in order to view the screen and the photos look amazing on here! I can not wait to get some new shots to edit. In fact, I may have to revisit some old edits and see if I can't improve on them now that I can see details.
Work time is quickly approaching, so I must head off, but I'll leave you with a photo comparison of the old and new.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)