THE END OF 2018 - LESSONS LEARNED
Hello Warriors! I apologize for my tardiness!
As we near the end of another year, I’d like to quickly share two huge things I’ve learned about my experiences in my journey of self-discovery before we explore what 2019 holds for all of us.
1) CONTROL
We’re all under some form of control aren’t we? Be it through the watchful eyes of our parents or through the regular grind of daily routine...
BUT!
What is control? It’s a line inherent in our programming to follow certain protocols based on the conditions of our societal envelope. Yes, I’m using a whole crapola of Matrix jargon here but this can never be further from the truth. Understand, that as humans, we are forever slaves to protocol, even if we hate to admit it. We work, eat, sleep and live under the control of our programming every single day. So, how do we use control to be masters of it, rather than being enslaved to it? The answer is quite simple, really.
WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS.
By taking responsibility, we know exactly what we have to do in order to CONTROL the situation that has been presented to us. By casting off our ‘Pavlovian’ tendencies of automatically responding to what controls us, we can evolve by straightening the reins of the proverbial ‘horse’ to turn the tide in our favour. This can be applied to anything in life, really, including work.
Your boss giving you shit? Control the situation by being accountable, assertive and tactful. Some may interject here and go - “BUT WHAT IF I LOSE MY JOB? I’M TOO SCARED TO SAY ANYTHING!” Well, I’m definitely not asking you to go postal and start talking back to your superiors. What I AM SAYING, is that if you’re a productive, dedicated and passionate professional, you can counter unfavourable situations by appealing to the company’s interests while highlighting your accomplishments. For example, if your boss tells you off for missing a deadline (through no fault of your own), simply address the accusation by mentioning what you’ve accomplished in the past, highlighting moments where you have been on the ball with deadlines. Show them that you did try hard enough but failed due to unavoidable circumstances. By showing dedication and keeping the company’s interests prioritized, you gain the upper hand and thus, win the day with acknowledgement. Gone are your days of taking shit and keeping it locked away until the damn thing piles up into a revolting mountain of “I HATE MY BOSS!”
2) IMPROVISE
Get it while it lasts, warriors! Improvisation is a scarce commodity these days!
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look (and no, I’m not generalizing).
With social media on the rise and a new generation taking over us 80s-90s kids on the block, the world is heading into a new era of millennials. There’s something for everyone and everything for something now and I have a strong instinctual feeling that it isn’t going to stop. Need food? Uber Eats. Need a ride? Uber. Need help with an essay? Fiverr. Need a hotel? Hotels.com. Need a date? Tinder. You get the idea?
I’m not saying convenience is a bad thing, but we’re so heavily reliant on it that we forget what makes us powerful human beings - the power to improvise. Put it this way - what if you didn’t have a smartphone or access to the internet? I lived that way growing up and guess what? I still live wonderfully well. Am I discounting the marvels of technology? No. I’m addressing the fact that we use technology way too much and we forget to improvise during situations we face unexpectedly. In our addiction to technology, we forget human connection. We forget the freedom we have with our minds and we forget that there’s more of life to discover than the next Pokemon GO creature around the corner.
Improvise. Improvise. Improvise.
I’ll say it again - IMPROVISE!
Tuck your smartphone in and connect with the world the old fashioned way! Trust me, it’s worth it *wink*
SIRI....GO BACK TO SLEEP!
Stay frosty, Warriors and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
