“Surviving” is a difficult task because it is a conflicts with our current goal and mind set. We spend most of our time plotting our escape, that we don’t actually focus on “how to survive” (until we can escape). This is an essential ingredient because by surviving well, we expend less energy, that we can use to then better plot our escape.
Got it?
The thought actually came to me while watching a prison show on “Hulu” that was on The National Geographic Channel. They were profiling an inmate who was a shear mastermind. He was your standard white guy, baby faced, imprisoned with Blacks and Hispanics (race will play a part in just a second, that’s why I’m mentioning it). He looked like he couldn’t hurt a fly. They showed him in the dining area eating, showed him in the yard playing softball, depicting him as a pillar of the prison community. In every scene he actually appeared genuinely happy.
Then they hold up pictures of some guy that was bludgeoned almost to death. Then they show another, and the voiceover states that the Baby-faced white guy was responsible for every one of those beatings. WHAT!?!?!!
How did he do this? All by the power of persuasion, keeping his emotions in control and bending a seemingly rigid prison system, to cater to his needs.
That’s how you survive in Corporate America. As an Entrepreneur your goals have changed. You don’t want to be a CEO. You don’t necessarily want to be moved up. You just want to earn your check – do an adequate job, and get home to work on your other endeavors. Instead of letting the place frustrate you with its policies, procedures and politics, use them to your advantage and mold them to help you in your journey out of there.
WANT EXAMPLES? “Sure”
Although the place I work is frustrating and the people are frustrating there are a few really bright, really experienced people who work there. Gain the trust of these select few and talk with them frequently. Run ideas and business strategies by them. It’s like free counsel. Trust me, if they are really intelligent, they will welcome the discussion and began to vicariously live through you, thus really wanting to see you achieve your goals.
Printers, Xerox Machines, Fax machines
They are all accessible to you to a certain extent. Use them after or before hours to give things you are working on a certain professional flare.
Company laptop
It’s a laptop. Great!!! Now you can postpone buying one and use this one for generating your business plans and excel spread sheets for your ideas. Use it for a change of scenery when you are home working, and take it to the local coffee shop so you can keep working. Keep grinding, keep getting it in!
HAVE FUN
You are launching a new business; you have a great idea that’s going to take off in just a few months, or years (whatever your particular sentence is). Knowing that should put you automatically in a good mood. It’s as if, someone told you that in January, you would be inheriting 800,000.00. Not enough money to quit, but it’s a nice chunk of change! That would make coming to work a lot easier, you would be a lot happier, and everyone around you would notice. You wouldn’t stress out over reports, presentations, or reviews. You would just make it happen to the best of your ability and let the chips fall where they may.
Hopefully this makes sense, and it can help you survive the day to day at your 9 to 5. It’s frustrating to work on a spreadsheet when you are secretly planning to launch the next facebook, but until you do it’s necessary.
Make the best out of your prison and save that energy for “The Launch” of the next best thing!
-MJL
1 comment:
I myself was an abused wife. My husband at the time would hit me and tell me if I had not made him mad it would not have happened. He broke my ribs,bruised me, locked me in closets, put me down in front of others, called me names and told me no one else would want me because I was worth nothing. He refused to let me cook, clean or do anything. Be cause he said I was not smart enough. This also happened in front of my sons. The beatings got worse so I had to leave. Now my life is better. I am going to collage and in a good relationship. My advice to you is to leave and get help repairing your self esteem. I can tell you from experience that it takes a long time but in the end it is worth it. You are worth more than letting a man beat you. If you stay it will never get any better no matter what he promises you. It is not your fault for what he is doing. I always thought it was my fault but learned through therapy it was not. He needs help for his problem. Unless he helps himself you cannot help him. I know it is painful to think of a life on your own but it gets better. The love of friends and family can help you. Good luck.
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