A few random ramblings…

It’s interesting watching the behaviours of people.

I work with an eclectic group, to say the least. The branch of the organisation I work for has over 100 people, so as you can imagine, there exists a diverse cross section of society even within our floor.

But regardless of what a persons background, it’s very interesting to see how they tackle a situation… to see the glass half full, half empty, or in my case… it’s half a glass.

The irritating aspect of this, though, is that when you have someone that you work closely with that is an eternal pessimist… they forever see the negative aspects of any change, situation or problem placed in front of them. For them, the glass is always half empty.

And that can be incredibly draining, for instead of being excited and energised at prospect and potential placed before them, they expend any energy that you gain from a challenge in whinging, complaining and incessantly prattling about why it’s all a bad idea and why it won’t work.

It’s enough to make even the most balanced person snap and unleash the inner Manson Family member.

But that’s work, and ultimately, so long as people comport themselves professionally, I can work with just about anyone.

So what happens when you have friends, aquaintances, family… people in your personal life that have that pessimistic bent about them? How do you maintain a relationship with someone like that when every other statement is one of doom and gloom?

I grew up with practically nothing. Not quite dirt poor, mind you. My parents always ensured that we ate well, were clothed, had a roof over our heads and all the bills were paid… but beyond that, ours was a relatively meager existance when compared with that of many of my friends. One of the things that kind of upbringing teaches you is to appreciate every little thing you have… to know that your labours have their rewards and that complacency has a price.

I guess it’s also why I’m so adamant about ensuring my security and peace of mind. Leaving things to chance, fate, destiny and dumb luck runs contrary to my nature… but the truth is that there are things in this world that we can’t control, and barely recognise before they smack right into us.

See, recently a friend returned from nearly 2 years in London, and his return coincides with some major changes in both my personal and professional lives… and it’s gotten me thinking about how few genuine risks I’ve taken for fear of losing what I have worked so hard for. He packed up everything, tossed his job, boarded a plane for the other side of the world with no backup, no contingency… just a desire and a return ticket and the possibility, however slim, of finding work and an employer to sponsor an extension to his stay.

He went, figuratively speaking, with the clothes on his back and a few bucks in his pocket. Like Tracy Chapman sang, “Starting from zero, got nothing to lose”.

And the irony is that, having once started from nothing, I know that I can do it again should the need arise.

Yes, I have succumbed to the negative view I spoke of earlier… but I have been trying to see the positive side and do as my father taught me when I was a kid… learn something from the experience and take something positive out of it all.

Perhaps it’s having had a birthday recently… maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been with my current employer for over 7 years… or maybe it’s just that in desperately trying to find something I thought I wanted, I lost the things I need, lost part of who I am.

Which, when I think about it, is probably at the core of why some people see “the glass as half empty”… perhaps they’ve lost site of those things that make them who they are whilst focussing on the things that they want. This narrow focus has the nasty side effect of blinding us to the opportunities that life places in front of us. Rather than life being about the journey, it becomes about the destination… regardless of whether or not we reach that goal, that end.

And I guess, when we focus on what we want, we start to look at “the ends justifying the means”.

Which, in my experience, tends to empty the glass quicker than anything.