Vita Contin Git, Vive Com Eo!

I feel I should post something exciting and insightful right now, as I’m bored out of my mind, but I’m finding it really difficult. I’ve just been so uninspired the last several days. I can make checking the mail sound like an Indiana Jones adventure if need be, but even that has been particularly dull! Here’s the current rundown…

Work:

Though work has been quite dull for me personally, I’m beginning to get that old burdened feeling back… the one where people (my employees, my peers, my friends) are getting screwed over by the company (once again), and I feel that they think there’s something I can do to fix it. There’s nothing I want more than to be able to fix these problems for them, but these issues lie outside my control. I’d gladly put all I have on the line to make things right… I’ve done it before… but there’s simply nothing I can do but watch.

It’s upsetting to see the company I work for treat people the way it does, especially when there’s so much internal hype on how they want to focus on the employees… make the company one of the 100 best retailers to work for. In all fairness, it may not be correct to blame the company for this blatant disrespect for employees. The problem lies with inept store managers put in position without any form of leadership characteristics. Now as much as I could gripe about my store in particular (which has more than it’s fair share of issues with this leadership problem), I can clearly see that this is a widespread issue.

I’ve found that there are two specific kinds of administrators… “managers” and “leaders.” “Managers” instruct their employees on what needs to get done, follow up on assignments, and they don’t really think outside the box. For the lack of a better term, they manage people. The only problem with “managed” people is that they constantly require someone to manage them. “Managers” also seem to be very distant from their employees. To them, their employees are simply property of the company once they clock in for work; hence, a “manager” doesn’t really treat their employees as respectfully as they should. “Managers” are typically of the mindset that the business is more important than the people who work for them.

A “leader” provides a vision for others to follow, provides an enthusiasm for others to feed off of. People who are lead typically don’t need constant supervision. They can take initiative on their own. People who are lead are also typically much more productive as they feel they have more of a stake in the success of the business. “Leaders” also are aware that their people are the most important thing to the business. Business is important, but not at the expense of the people who work for you. To me it’s always been clear that a business can be so much more efficient and prosperous when run by “leaders.”

I think a “manager” can run a completely successful business… it’s just not as likely as a “leader” running the show. Most “managers” will do what is easiest, while the “leaders” will do what is right. Sometimes they’re the same thing, but many times not.

Anyway, that’s all I want to say about that. Josh and I see eye to eye on almost everything, which is probably why we've pretty much been best friends for the last five years. Read his posts on the subject matter: Post #1 and Post #2.

Personal:

My first personal trainer, Justin (who’s been my trainer for over a year), quit mid-December for personal reasons. He was having some medical issues and couldn’t really come in on a regular basis, so he decided to quit until he could get stuff straightened out. My new trainer, Jake, just quit this week. He just got a job in advertising up in Dallas. He’ll be making more money and will probably be much happier with the new job, so I’m happy for him.

So, I’m left looking for a new trainer when all of a sudden I get a call today. A great call! It was from Justin! He’s back! I can’t describe how relieved I felt when he called me this morning. I’ve been worried about him. Haven’t really talked with him since December (speaking of which, I’ll need gloat a bit about UT’s glorious National Championship to him since he’s an Aggie.) So, I’ll be seeing him tomorrow.

On to a new topic. Veritas vos liberabit - The truth will set you free. I can’t tell you how true this is. Why do people fuck stuff up with lies? One of my biggest pet peeves is being lied to. First of all, it’s just plain insulting because I know most of the time when I’m being lied to. Secondly, the things that most people lie about are just plain stupid to be lying about to begin with. Perhaps this is just the human condition and a fact of life… people just lie. I don’t even know why I’m surprised anymore. I guess I keep expecting people to be more virtuous. Should I not?

Speaking of virtue, I’ve been tweaking my MySpace profile a bit today (haha… that had nothing to do with virtue… it just seemed an easy way to transition to a new topic!) I’ve been using this MySpace thing for a couple months now, and I still don’t know what its true function is. I simply use it to waste all the free/dead time I have outside work, specifically at night when I can’t sleep and have absolutely nothing to do. Maybe that’s its true function. Who the hell knows though?

Perhaps I’ll visit my parents this week if they’re home… I wasted a trip up to BFE Hutto this last weekend to visit my mom who was asleep. I waited around for about 45 minutes, playing with my ferrets and watching TV (nothing on of course, which is why I don’t watch TV in the first place.) Then I left to go see my dad in Pflugerville to find that he wasn’t home. WTF! They bitch at me all the time for not visiting, and when I do try to visit they’re not even around! Mental note to self: call before going next time!

Final Thought:

“Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, ‘Give me your best shot. I can take it.’” – Jack Burton (Kurt Russel) / Big Trouble in Little China