Sometimes I seem to struggle with the concept of productivity. What seems productive may not actually be productive, and the flip side holds truth as well. I’m beginning to realize that someone’s level of productivity in the corporate job market directly correlates to the outside perception of their efforts. Is it considered productive to spend eight diligent hours completing an assigned project for your boss? What if you finished the same project in five hours and spent the next three hours surfing the Internet? Would you really have been any less productive by surfing the Internet if the final project under both circumstances reflected the same quality of work? It’s a strange feeling when you recognize that it might be in your best interests to slow down the pace of your efforts. If you look busy, you are busy, right? It seems as though this misconception is what they want you to believe…
Walking Away from a Dream
When I was 14 years old I had only one prized possession, my skateboard. My neighborhood buddies and I used to tear up the streets of South Miami on our skateboards every day after school and all weekend long. We would practice special jumps and tricks for hours until we had conquered them. On a weekly basis we would skate over to our local skate shop and gawk at all the high end skate decks, trucks (axels), and wheels. Every single time, like clockwork, one of us would start up a debate over the pros and cons to each brand, the best equipment, etc… And it always ended with a short discussion about the perfect “dream board”. We always used to say that someday, when we were rich, we were going to buy the “dream board”. Well, I’m in my mid twenties now, and while I would hardly consider myself to be rich, I could purchase fifty “dream boards” tomorrow. Of course, that’s not really a very compelling dream anymore.
The funny thing is that this shift in paradigms will continue to occur throughout the duration of our lives. What seems like the ultimate goal or dream of today, may not even tickle our fancy one year down the line. Maybe we will achieve the goal sooner then we originally thought, or maybe we will outgrow it all together. I outgrew my skateboard dream… and now ten years later I am again faced with the same dilemma.
When my previous employer offered me an opportunity to return, I was undeniably excited. They basically offered me everything I had yearned for when I was employed there… a damn good salary, a management position, less travel, etc. I only quit because I had pleaded, begged, and waited for some kind of forward movement, but got absolutely no indication that they were even considering it. So, I split and went on to find something that pushed me in a positive direction. Now I’m sitting here six months later and they’re offering me everything that I used to dream about. But I’ve already switched gears, and I’m no longer cruising down the same path. I’ve recently reestablished a new set of goals, and I find myself walking away from yet another dream… only because I’ve reset the bar higher and now dream of something greater. Here’s to the next step…
A Question of Now or Later
What would you do if you were in your mid-twenties and had to choose between two awesome job opportunities? What if one was located in Boston and the other one was in Orlando? What if one left you standing on the field next to Randy Moss during an NFL football game, while the other had you working on computer security for the Presidential Helicopter? What if one required you to give up 55 hours of your life every week, but the other one monotonously made you feel like you had worked 55 hours a week? What if one filled your time with exotic intangible benefits, while the other promoted paid education and promotion? What if one permitted you to interact with clients in a t-shirt and jeans, while the other made you dress up to sit in an office chair for 8 hours? What if colleague camaraderie was packaged with industry instability and tedious work environment was tied to elite job title? What if one made sense right now, but the other one was more practical in the long term? Would you live for now or prepare for later? We flew from Orlando to Boston in a desperate attempt to answer these questions. We will be in Boston for the next 48 hours…
Watching From A Distance
Have you ever felt unappreciated? Have you ever felt like all your efforts are taken for granted? I know I’ve been down that road a time or two, and until recently I wasn’t sure my labors would pay off. But they did. Last week I was contacted by my previous employer. They basically told me I was a valuable asset, they were upset when I left, and that they are prepared to make me a substantial offer.
This caught me way off guard, and I’m truly struggling to assess my options. The catch 22 to their offer involves relocation. Angel and I would have to relocate to Boston. However, the offer is substantial. The money makes sense, they’re offering a management position, and I always enjoyed the intangible excitement associated with my old work environment. But my current employer is good too, and I’m in a position to move up the ladder there as well… not to mention the reluctance of relocating. It’s a tough one! Angel and I feel inundated with feelings of enthusiasm, fear, and change. So no decision has been made just yet.
Regardless of what we decide, one thing is certain… when I was out on the field giving it 110% and feeling like nobody noticed, I was wrong. They were aware of my efforts. They were watching from a distance. They have expressed their appreciation, and are now offering me the position I once yearned for. If nothing else, this has served as a life lesson. Be honest, be passionate, and put heart into whatever you’re working on. It won’t go unnoticed. Someday your name will be subliminally stamped on all your past efforts. When the time comes, make sure you’ll be proud to own up to them.
Out of the Rat Race
My buddy A-town (Andrew) left a very intelligent comment in regards to my last post, “Perfect Rests in a Shade of Grey”. He discusses the idea of harboring personal skills and efforts with the goal of building your own enterprise. In other words: Get out of the rat race, stop trading hours for dollars, and start building a revenue generator of your own. Angel and I have discussed this idea on several occasions, and we have also shared these thoughts with some of our closest friends. Most of us will agree that pissing 50% of your life away fulfilling someone else’s initiatives pretty much sucks. All your efforts are feeding into someone else’s dream, and making them rich while you just grow older.
I’ve recenly been employed by two different successful start-up companies. The time spent at these companies has given me the opportunity to meet some really sharp people with clever business ideas. But, none of these people are the next Albert Einstein. These are average individuals who had an idea, nurtured it, and converted into a small enterprise. When I look around my inner circle I see genius. I see IT professionals, business/finance majors, sales/marketing managers, computer programmers, real estate gurus, information security analysts, etc. These people are brilliant, talented, skilled, and capable… and someday they need to unite in an effort to build a revenue generating dream of their own.
Here’s an excerpt from A-town’s comment:
…I think the best color for the middle ground we are looking for is the color yellow. Yellow is the odd ball. It’s out of the ordinary, something wild, something between white and black. I still think the only way to get everything you desire out of a job is to break out and start something yourself. Be out of the ordinary. Don’t just work a job like everyone else. Create a job that everyone else wants to be a part of…
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