Who wins when you keep trying to convince yourself you’ve lost?
Ever had one of those days? No matter what hall you walk down there’s someone waiting to pounce on you like a cat discovering a new paper bag. How can you win when the rules of the game constantly change?
To keep from getting bored, as a kid, we’d spend hours bending and reshaping the proper methods of playing Monopoly. Every roll of the dice featured a new set of plans which made it extremely difficult for newcomers. Ten minutes inside the exciting world of harnessing property then purchasing houses and hotels, a fight broke out verbally then physically.
Because it happened all the time…I assumed it was only natural.
The business world is no different…we’ve evolved into a people of multi-tasking rule breaking and creating with no hope for change. Why should we? The idea of being faithful to coworkers and bosses went out when the NBA masterminded a plan called Free Agency.
The problem is…like brothers and sisters crowded around momma’s kitchen table forking out fake money like it grows in open fields of lettuce and tomatoes fewer adults think before they speak. Words, ideas, expectations and unheard of demands pour from the nearly exploded veins on the forehead of sink or swim and the maker of the game isn’t stepping forward to construct a better path toward seeking peace.
Our idea of releasing is telling coworkers, family and friends how we truly feel. Circles and or cliques have taken shape making this part of the building ours and that corner is yours...for the moment. I’m shocked that we haven’t seen tagging on business walls! Grab a can of paint and spray your name onto a section of the bathroom that says, “Mine.”
I often wonder how Grandpa Dobrenz would’ve reacted if hadn’t been a Wyoming farmer and his boss swiftly turned and shouted, “You’re wasting my time!” Would the well decorated hero from World War I and II find enough space in his playing field to patiently wait for a better time to respond or would an old fashioned western bar brawl invite his spirits to ignite the night?
How many times can you laugh off a situation you know you’ve lost and the only way through it is to giggle or give a coworker the salt from the eyes connected to the windows of your soul? Who wins when you keep trying to convince yourself you’ve lost?
We were once motivated by a simple thought, “Can’t we all just get along?”
That doesn’t work anymore. The competition between coworkers is so high that jealousy has made monsters out of the one time meek and extremely shy. People go to work every morning knowing that today is their last day. If you didn’t get handed the pink slip you’ll lay awake all night wondering how pink is pink and will there ever be a warning sign before a simple invitation to visit a decision maker’s office becomes the color of Pepto Bismol.
The reason why people drive too fast has nothing to do with getting to the next destination ahead of time…we can’t break away from the past fast enough. If we crash, that’s ok…the insurance company will pay for it. If sniffles in the nose become a horrible cold…it’s this year’s hottest gift for Christmas to give it to the mean person in cubical number six.
Are we numb or faking a new level of motivation? Intimidation is free.
Most have no clue they’re crossing the line of demands—to do or to die requires a warriors pride and each twenty four hour period presented is nothing more than an act of bravery without the aid of scouts or medicine men who might be blessed with the opportunity to see the future…truth is, they’re relying on their memories to shower them with the outcome of what took place during the opening chapters of an event just like this a week ago.
Ronald Reagan was three decades off. The 80’s weren’t the “Me Generation.” Today we are more “Me” than a single “Me” can generate. We’ve bitten too much off the “Me” factor and expect everyone to be in me time, on me time, in place and never out or “Me is going to get angry.”
Oprah tried her hardest to convince a wobbling America that it isn’t about us but rather them. In the book The Secret the true message has nothing to do with how much you’ll gain but rather how we as a community can grow as several different notes but through a common connection there is harmony. The moment you take “Me” out of the pages printed on that once living tree…you’ll start to realize something incredibly positive begins to grow when winning has nothing to do with losing.
When you win, you’ve won…three seconds after a victory you’re now a used to be. Sean White spent years fighting hard to win Olympic gold. Now that he’s won…all that dedication and loyalty, all that determination and spirit means nothing to the common person. What was…was and when you live like you’re dying…ten minutes ago doesn’t mean anything to anyone in this Monopoly game.
We want it all and we want it all now. He or she who cheats is getting away with it in the name of doing everything in your power to keep peace. Who wins when you keep trying to convince yourself you’ve lost?
You win when you stop to breathe not once but every chance you get before you speak.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment