Life: “You know? I just don’t give a damn.” I completely understand Rhett’s indifference to Scarlet in that oft quoted exchange in Gone With The Wind.
Not everyone’s life can be as sweeping or dramatic as all that however, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who try. They try very hard to feel that DRAMA is all around them. They try to cling to a notion that their life, their aspirations, their very existence isn’t exactly what they and everyone else around them fear the most: that they are inconsequential.
Well, there IS Oprah. She's important. And Brad and Angelina are damn important, but the rest of you? Not so much so.
Our work lives provide us with daily doses of drama, if we are lucky enough to work with drama queens. It's usually the Spanish Soap Opera type of drama that we're subjected to unfortunately. And at the end of the day, if we allow ourselves to objectively distance ourselves, we can all admit that it just doesn't matter. In fact... it's bullshit.
Remember the old saying, "Find a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life?" Most people spend about 25 percent of their adult lives working. If you enjoy what you do, you're lucky. But if you're the proverbial square peg and your job is a round hole, job stress hurts your productivity and takes a serious toll on your mind and body. And that's not just for you, but also everyone around you. I'm not the easiest person to work with, just ask anyone who HAS worked with me in the past. You may want to stay away from the stark-raving lunatics though, as well.... I might be equated with Satan, Hitler, Pol Pot, Snidely Whiplash… you name the villain and I'm sure there are a few people in this world that will try to convince you I'm worse. But as is the case with lunatics all you have to do is spend some time with them and you'll get a clue: to RUN far AWAY. Everyone has those things in their past. It's the cost of doing business as an adult in this modern world. You can't love everything you do, nor can you like or, even stand, everyone you work with.
I was reminded today of a funny exchange I once had with a 'supervisor' at a temp job years ago. I was doing telephone sales for a nationally known insurance company based here in Philly. I won't mention any names, but Ed McMahon used to hock their stuff. Now, mind you insurance is a necessary thing and I'm sure there were some people who actually benefited from what I was attempting to sell them, but I had real problems baiting and switching the elderly, and that's exactly what I was required to do on a daily basis. After a number of weeks doing something that turned my stomach I decided to speak to my supervisor about my plans to leave for another position. Like any good team leader I suppose it was her duty to attempt to get me to stay. What she told me made me smile. "Maybe you just haven't given it enough time hon! This kind of thing isn't easy, you just have to have the right attitude about it!" What I wanted to say in response was, "Nah...I hate this shit, and nothing you can tell me would get me to stay here!" I didn't say that. I simply smiled and said, "I think that's fair," and left it at that. I never went back. Soon after that I landed a job that was frustrating and challenging, but was going to be one of the best I'd ever had. Now, if I'd stayed and 'adjusted my attitude' I would have missed out on something that DID agree with me. I think I was right to trust my gut.
I got fired today. I won't go into it here, but suffice it to say that my gut has been screaming at me for months. Now I don't have to listen to that anymore.
And frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.
