Education

How many years of education do you have ?
I have over 50..
Yup, over 50 and still counting, my best education was and still is real life, every day encounters.
My mentor, Paul Arpin, always said he was still learning and he said right up till the day he passed in his mid eighties.

When the day comes that you think you know it all , just pack it in.
Paul just like me did not have much in the years of what they call a "formal" education, our lessons would all come from the streets. We made mistakes along the way but learned from each and every one of them.

When people want to give me their resume verbally on how many years they have been in " the buisness " I already get turned off..honestly I don't care. What I do care about is how you treat the people around you and if you think your years in the buisness gives you some kind of privilege or pass you already told me what I need to know about you.

Once again recounting on my days with Paul Arpin I never heard him tell anyone in any conversation how long he has been in the buisness or what accomplishments he had. On the plague of Paul as you enter Arpin headquarters it says " May my work speak for itself" and it sure did.
Do not get down on yourself if you do have a higher school education and do not envy or belittle those that do, it is what you do in life that matters and what you learn along the way.

There are lessons and gifts every day with everyone you meet if you simply stay humble and keep your eyes and ears open.

Tribal

I had heard or read some time ago about everyone's need to be part of a tribe, going back in all of history being a part of a tribe was in bred and necessary.

Today we all feel the same , we like to be part of a team , a tribe, a group.
For many reasons that explains why we love belonging to a professional sports team and fan base. It is why we draw the line politically, there is strength in numbers.

Unfortunately it is what also gives rise to hate groups through the years, people feel the need to belong and sometimes will gravitate to whatever group seems to except them.

People feel more powerful when they are with their group and sometimes it gives them false power and they feel it easier to hurt or say negative things about those that do no not belong in their group.
It is funny how it manafest in us as we get older too, you see older men belonging to motorcycle groups and they end up buying the jackets and t shirts that tag their group, same as sport teams.
In the work place or schools there may not be official groups but people develop clicks that resemble tribes or teams and within that click they can make you fell on the outside if you do not belong.

I have felt it my whole life, I have no need nor desire to belong to a click or good old boy network but when you feel yourself on the outside it can still be a struggle and can still hurt.

Finding that sweet spot where you do not feel beholding to any group but still befriend them is very important to get things done and to remain positive and move toward your goals you need allies.

The people we look up to

We are all going through something .. including people you may look up to.
As I grew older I was amazed with how the people I grew up admiring had a difficult upbringing or was going through such difficult times.
We all have this grand illusion that people that are successful have this wonderful life with no problems...wrong.
Very successful people like Elvis Presley, Robin Williams , Ray Charles, Johnny Cash even Bruce Springsteen, they have a story to tell and in most cases it is their dark shadows and ugly history that fueled them.
Point being is you never know and why should you ?
The one thing that I can assure you is all the people around you have gone through something or are going through something that shaped their lives and because of those moments and memories that is how they view others and possibly react the way they do.
The other thing is that no matter what face they show or you show the public at the end of the day we all have to live in our own skin.
Hopefully as we do get older we have the time to self reflect in our own upbringing and lives and we learn that even those that we admire or maybe even dis like all have a story to tell.
I know I react the way I do because of my childhood and things that may have happened to me, but even knowing that it does mean it stops my reactions but hopefully I can at least identify why I may be having the thoughts I have or why I may be defensive and then try to work it out in my own head.
They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger..it is true IF you take the time to self reflect and to try to understand what did hurt you and who may have hurt you- learn from it and be better.

Is it me ?

When do you say " is it me ?
Are you constantly dis liking people around you?
Do you not trust anyone?
Are you complaining about what others do or say ?
Is it around you everywhere?
Hmmmmmm...
Maybe it's time to say " is it me " ?
Self reflection is the most difficult and in the end the ONLY person that you can actually change is YOU.
It begins and ends with attitude- YOURS.
Are they right ? Are you right ? ..who cares ? If you allow a negative attitude to take over YOUR life - they win.
A funny thing begins to happen if you do not allow others to take over your day and your attitude, you start to feel better and you may even see their shoulders begin to lower.
Always remember that we are all going through something in our lives , look past the ugly or mean front of people or what you or they may be upset with, most times they , or you, are unhappy about something else or dealing with other issues in their or your personal life.
Stop carting that dead weight - what can YOU do to be more positive?
Take back the Power.

Garbage in

Garbage in...garbage out.
If all you do is listen and read negative all day then naturally you will regurgitate negative all day.
If you truly want to change and feel better about yourself you may need to change your daily routines and maybe even lessen your interactions with those people that say they are your friends but do nothing but spew negativity.
Even if you are neutral about a person if all you do is hear bad about them then you start to look for the bad rather than the good, the negative permeates- remove yourself from other people's opinion and try to always make allies. You may decide on your own that person in question may not be the most truthful or trusting person but you may be in a position that you still need to work with them so lessen your time and conversations with that person and move on. Do not participate in the slamming, just move on. If you continue to rehash ugly conversations you just relive it and get more angry.
Negative in...negative out.
Knowing a person's character and downfalls can help you maneuver through the day , do not get angry and head to social media, get what you need in order to do your job and move on.
Remember in the end we all have to live in our own skin and we all have the controls of our own lives and how we live each day.
Do not take each day for granted, there are no guarantees so do not allow other people's problems to be your problems.
How can you improve your attitude today?

Goals

What  are your goals today ?
What are goals for the next few years?
Where do you see yourself ?
If you have no goals or vision then how can you achieve what you want ?
Write down your goals for the day. Think of your long ranged goals.
Do not allow the noise and the negative to get in your way.
I am not talking about money.
How can you improve?
Stay positive- you get what you give !

Team player

This phrase "Team Player" is over used in buisness today.
Most times when someone uses the term " team player" they are probably trying to smooch you or trying to massage you, if you are a true team player then the person saying it should have YOUR best interest at heart. In the moving business many times an employer needs to get something moved and the fact that it may not be profitable for you is YOUR problem.
Don't get me wrong I know the big picture, employers need to keep their accounts and scores therefore they need to serve their master- their accounts and their customers - but in the interim some of them forget who their customers are. In order to have a successful business you need to treat everyone as if they are your customer, this goes for drivers and laborers and employees too.
You need to have the other guys best interest at heart, being a team player means caring for All your team, ALL the time. If you have a losing scenario for whatever reason- own it !
Tell the truth and make up for it down the road, sooner rather than later.
Actions speak louder than words !
Don't just call someone a team player- show them !