Still Everything Happens For A Reason

I am a huge John Mayer fan.  I make no bones about the fact that the lyrics to his music have changed my life in many ways.  And much of what he preaches in his music I apply to my daily life.  I try to be the same at work as I am off the clock, with the exception to a few rules (it's familiar but it's not home).  And to be honest with you, this is the first place I have actually had the freedom to be myself (thank you, Kip).  This isn't to say I walk around with a rose up my nose.  I'm human, aren't we all?

As a result of this freedom, it has been an amazing journey to rediscover people.  And that result has led to increased revenue.  What? Yes, I said that.  It wasn't my goal, either.  Maybe it's just learning that despite what has been taught over the years, you can still be genuine and professional at the same time.  Often, through fear, companies will teach that we need to stand up straight, iron our clothes, wear a suit and tie, be uncomfortable in hose and high heels and make certain your grammar is perfect and every...single...word....is enunciated per-fect-ly.  Because we want to deal with uncomfortable and rigid people every day, right?

Have you ever watched someone perspire abnormally when everyone else is just a little warm?  The sweat just saturates their every being.  They are obviously miserable.  And it makes us miserable watching them.  We want to just find the closest pool and help them in.  Well, when I walk into a business and someone is standing there trying to be as professional as possible, barely cracking a smile and the pain from those pointed shoes shows in their brow, I hurt for them.  It's not them.  The real them is wearing their favorite weekend sweatshirt and jeans and most comfortable shoes.  The real them wants to joke with you but they are afraid that showing their true self will endanger their job or the business they represent (because that's what they have been told).

Maybe it's just how things are done in the Midwest. I don't know. I grew up around farmers and they were the highest paid people around.  If they saw you prancing around the farm in a suit and tie they would think you were the guy from the bank wanting to loan you money (farmers used to be the ones to keep banks afloat, not the stock broker down the street or your friendly politician).  Things were so relaxed back then and the economy was staying afloat.  People were friendlier and everyone knew one another and their first and last born child and their children.   You could go to any local business and talk with one another like you had known each other for life.....and you probably had.

But now, with the age of technology and social networking, we no longer have to worry about getting personal with anyone in person.  We can take care of everything online.  We can pretend to be whoever we want and no one ever knows what is really going on inside.  We can walk into a business and be on a strict time limit and get in and out in a flash.  No one has to know anything about you, your hurts, your cares, your triumphs.  There is no need to share that with people anymore.  That's why we have Facebook and Twitter, right?

So, where does John Mayer come in (who, by the way, only has a blog account)?  Well, in the song, Why Georgia?  He tells the story of driving through Georgia knowing he is going to a temporary home that he will try to make into a home but it's still so empty to him.  He wonders if he's "living it right?"  These are the lyrics that I was reminded of while writing this blog: "Everybody is just a stranger but that's the danger in going my own way. I guess it's the price I have to pay, still everything happens for a reason is no reason not to ask myself, if your're living it right?"   So, are we living it right?  Is this just a job where people just come in and go out of your life every day?  Do you just exist in the world of social networking or even just exist?

As a writer, I write about people.  As a manager, I meet and serve people.  As a person, I just want to know that I'm living it right.  Mistakes and all, am I?  Are we?  What is real anymore?  Can we find a way to get back to the way things were before?  Can we recapture authenticity from each other?  I sit in here alone most of the time and yes, it gets to me.  People pay online and I spend time trying to figure out what else I can do via social networking to draw people in via technology.  I read about the latest marketing tools.  But, my favorite still is seeing YOU and learning about your life....and sharing a bit of my own as well.  I don't have a personal Facebook.  I tried it and several hundreds of friends later, I deleted it.  I stay in contact with about ten of those people.  The rest have never left that world.  Occasionally I will get an email from someone begging me to come back to Facebook because they miss me.  Wow, they truly believe I have moved to another country and can only be contacted on rare occasion via email.

In defense of technology and social networking, we have been able to successfully bring in new customers due to internet marketing.  It does work.  However, it does not have to be a way to end real relationships or the beginning of new ones.  Let's see this as a new (or "renewed") way to do business.  Actually, let's look past the word business, that's still too impersonal.  This is life and we need to always make certain that we are "living it right" no matter what the circumstance.   And who wants to ever do that alone?  Not me and I doubt you do, either.  So, let's start now.

Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300