Why Giving is Important

We give things away every day and don’t even realize it.  We give advice, compliments, feedback, and sometimes criticism.  We give our time to others and often give our physical bodies to help others with simple things like opening doors or holding items for an elderly person.  My point is that the act of giving is a basic necessity in life and is something that everyone not only wants, but needs.  I believe that the simple act of giving is overlooked too often and becomes some type of catch phrase meant to make us feel good, but with no real meaning behind it.  I believe it is time to take the act of giving more seriously and start making a positive change in the lives of others more often.  When I say others, I don’t just mean your significant other or your best friend, I mean complete strangers.

Could you imagine living in a world where no one gave anything without first being paid for it? It’s not a world I want to live in.  Have you ever been in a position where someone gave you a chance, gave you an opportunity, gave you a break, or money, or even a free meal? Have you really thought about how many times we give each other things, physical or emotional?  These things are often the most important acts of kindness and truly build up our society in a positive way.  It promotes not only interaction, but trust, value, and substance in mankind.

There are many people living without anything at all, and I guarantee you that they very much appreciate those who give them time, food, or any positive gift at all.  Giving is simple and believe it or not, it will make you feel better too.  If you feel discouraged in life, feel frustrated, anxious, sad, and hopeless, you are not alone, but if you have enough time to focus on yourself this much, there is a good chance you have a lot to give the world. So it’s time to start doing it.

-From the Mind of the EgoAssassin

I’m Sick of the Phrase “Down to Earth”

Yet another irritating phrase I hear in life is how “down to earth” people are. For example, a co-worker will describe someone they know by saying: “Oh James is a great person because he is so down to earth”. And my response to this statement is…..WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

Down to earth? Does that phrase translate into meaning that a person has the amazing and unique ability to use some common sense? Is it a special gift? Or perhaps it means that the person is an average Joe who can relate to everyone regardless of financial class or social status? Can anyone tell me what “down to earth” actually means?

Like with any loaded phrase that is meant to have some deep symbolic meaning, you have to consider the source. When someone comments that they think a person is “down to earth”, I always wonder where the person making the comment ranks on the sanity meter in the first place. I will be the first to admit that I’m not a normal individual, so why would I personally pretend to know what “down to earth” people act like? And far beyond just being strange, what if the person making this statement is a complete nut case? That would mean that in their world view, people who are fellow psychopaths are “down to earth” as well.

So who is really down to earth? If you find that person, please let me know.

Sick of Editing my Thoughts and Conversations

Hi everyone. I try to be as transparent and honest in everything I say and do, but I wanted to post this with my deepest sincerity to say that I’m very sick and tired of always having to go through the motions in life, in order to “fit-in” or “appease” the normal majority of people. We all have expectations from each other to communicate in certain ways, or want to relate to everyone on a broad level, but the truth is, I really don’t want or need to relate to everybody (not to mention there are simply too many people to relate to). Besides, I find it refreshing to meet people who are completely different than me and who don’t use the exact boring social styles that I use. I think we as individuals act fake for too much of our lives and that we should be as honest as possible with ourselves and others, even if it means being unpopular for your actions or opinions. I personally would rather have someone be honest with me and be themselves, rather than being phony and talk to me on what they perceive as “my level” in order to hold down a conversation. I notice this happens a lot with strangers and people in managerial positions who are uncomfortable interacting outside of their “social” or “financial” class. They try to talk to you about sports or something basic as if that is the only thing a common man knows how to discuss. Then you sit there and are expected to smile and thank them for patronizing you, instead of telling them that you are not as stupid as you look. And furthermore, I’m sick of editing my words in person and on paper. Why do I always have to finely tune the things I say so that everyone will think I’m a straight shooting individual? I would rather be myself. That is why this post is possibly my strangest yet, because I’m just saying whatever comes to my head and not editing a damn thing. I think we’re expected to go through motions in life and act fake, but I despise this lie. I would rather answer someone honestly when they ask “how are you doing?”, instead of always nodding my stupid head and giving the token answer of “good thanks”. Sick of editing. Sick of iedint. sick off eeditingg. sickk offf eDitING.

I Don’t Care What You Did this Weekend (So Just Shut Up)

Is there anything original that people can ask me on Monday mornings other than “what did you do this weekend?” It’s wearing thin on my nerves, especially since I go through these shenanigans every Friday and Monday without a break. On Friday afternoon I get the classic “So what ya’ doing this weekend?” And of course on Monday mornings (like clockwork) it’s the ever popular “so what DID you do this weekend?”. This wouldn’t bother me so much if the people asking me had anything else to say, but they never do!

My new answer is, please just shut up. Firstly, why do you care? Secondly, why ask me on Friday if you are just going to ask me again on Monday? Do you simply need a reason for me to ask what you did over the weekend or do you just have nothing better to ask? And by the way, why is the weekend any different than every other day of the week when it comes to “doing” something? I’m always doing something, so why is it so important all of the sudden to hear the details of my actions on any given weekend. If I already work with you every damn day, you probably know too much about me, so why is it necessary for you to know what I do on my days off?

Not to sound super negative, but I really, REALLY don’t care what anyone did over the weekend (unless it involves the revelation that it is pointless to keep asking about my weekend).

I’m about substance and constantly getting to know people, but sick of using this repetitious nonsense and fluff conversation to fill up space. Life is too short people. Ask me some real questions for f***s sake.

The obsession with using the word “Thanks” in emails

Can anyone tell me why we over use the word “Thanks” in email correspondence? Oh I am guilty of this one, BIG TIME. (especially at work) For example, there have been times when I see an email with information that does not in any way require a ‘thank you’ at the end of it, but it still has the ‘thanks’. Why is the word ‘thanks” necessary? Why would someone email me a statement and just add a random ‘thanks’ at the end of it? To be friendly? Nope, I ain’t buying that one. I would rather have them talk to me like a grown up and not a 5 year old kid. “THANKS SPORT”
The phrase ‘thanks’ must be the new coin phrase to use when in doubt of what the hell to write and still sound sincere or polite at the same time. But seriously I need someone to tell me what is going on here with the over usage of this word period. There are situations where I have heard the word thanks thrown out so many times, that I thought it was part of a new language. And yes…I already will admit that I have been sucked into using the word several times in my work emails. And yes, I feel like an idiot every time, but I realize that no one else seems to be bothered by it. I am now in my phase of trying to find new and unique words to use in place of thanks. Maybe I will start saying “Stream”. How does that sound?

I had to get that one off my chest.Thanks!

Oh and BEST REGARDS!

Making Your Job Look Difficult (So You Won’t Lose It)

In all my cherished years in and around the work force, I’ve learned that it’s getting more common to see individuals pretending that their jobs are much more difficult than they actually are. And yes, I’ve unfortunately been guilty of this one big time. We often get so wrapped up in reciting our job descriptions out of habit that we eventually transform them into glorious and challenging professions, when in fact they are usually not. We’re experts at explaining our jobs so elegantly and make our work sound like a finely tuned ballet requiring vast knowledge or rare skill sets. The truth is that most people who actually work difficult jobs are usually not taking time to rant about how complex the work is. Chances are that people who do have the extremely difficult jobs are the individuals who are actually working hard and not just talking about working hard. If you really think about the job you currently have, you’ll realize that many of the skills can be attained through basic training and experience (depending on how much you actually do). But on that note, I must say that I for one am I’m sick and tired of everyone telling me how difficult and important their jobs are. I can also live without the meaningless phrases peppered into career-related conversation, like “specialist”, “analyst”, “associate”, “specialist” or “database”. These words may sound good, but they don’t mean anything when you randomly throw them into a sentence, so save everyone the headache and tell them what it is you actually do.

Another facade we include in our work descriptions is the ever important job title itself. It seems like companies love pumping out phony job titles just to keep the management employed. My all time favorite is any work title that includes the word “analyst” at the end of it. You can add the phrase “analyst” to just about any job title and it will make it sound important or slightly legit.

“Oh look at me, I’m a “Business Systems Administrator Specialist Analyst“…..Now you must admit that sounds important!