Life lesson: take initiative

[wtd]

Found myself in a hairy situation the other day. For those unaware, I work in retail by day. I am a technician and salesperson at a major chain of stores that feature computer, audio/video and photographic equipment. I am one of the more senior members of my department, but usually work with individuals who outrank me.

This was to have been the case last Friday, but due to a family emergency, I found myself in charge. We were short-staffed due to the absence of my fellow technician. A colleague of mine chose to leave when his shift technically ended despite this. I don't blame him, but as there was work to be done, and now money in the payroll for him to stick around, I feel it was a missed opportunity. I suspect he also feared that he would be punished for staying late by our manager.

I chose to stick around an extra hour at the end of my shift even though it meant I was working ovetime for the week, and that is normally frowned upon. I knew the only guy left at that point was new, and didn't know many of our policies and procedures. I took the time to tidy up the place and make sure he wasn't overwhelmed.

Not only was my manager not angry with me, but he thanked me for sticking around.

Life these days is so full of order and routine, and so much of it is pure bullcrap. When you get an opportunity to break that routine, take the opportunity to do something positive. If you've been wanting to make a change for the better, but normal etiquette says that it's not your call, then when normal etiquette flies out the window, go to town and do it your way.

[Mackie]

Awesome advice, I plan to take it.

[apomb]

Inspiring words from the resident guru

Thanks wtd, thats great advice. its true that things are full of routine, even when that routine involves questionable acts. I enjoy that you were rewarded for doing something positive, it is reassuring to know not everyone has lost their mind to the buzz of the rest of the world.

[syntax_error]

any more life lessons to be coming our way?

[md]

Nope, only one life lesson per person.

[syntax_error]

well per person; how many persons are here already?

[Bored]

Life is full of routines, that line just dosn't seem to fit mine. There's two things in my life that are routine, that's school, and cadets. They are the only things, and cadets is only routine so far in that we have a "schedule" and it happens that every wednesday we're there from 6:30 - 9:00. In my life initiative never seems to break routine as there is no routine to break. I've developed a lot of initiative over the years because of my cadet career, and I must say though initiative may be breaking routines sometimes, many other times the hardest initiative to take is to get into a routine. For example, getting into shape takes intiative, and to get into sahpe you generally need to intiate a work out routine. I'm not trying to contradict you but just like to point out that it's often much easier to take the initiative to break a routine then it is to start one.

[Mackie]

I took initiative and got $50.00.

[wtd]

Next one!

Don't linger on defeat. This holds true in all things life has to throw your way.

You're programming. Your program doesn't compile after you've invested weeks of effort. You just can't figure out how to make it work. Do you give up? Never write a program again? Sure. Lots of people do. That's why computer science programs have a high turnover rate.

The really good programmers don't give up, though. They have different coping techniques. Some keep at the same problem until they come to a solution. Some scrap the whole thing and start again, incorporating all of the lessons from their previous failure. Some go on to do something else entirely. But they never just called it quits.

People who are good at cooking... they've burned more meals than you can probably count. They've made endless amounts of bad soup and tough meat. If you decide to make dinner, and your chicken ends up resembling a lump of charcoal, do you just eat out for life?

Well, if you do your local pizza delivery guy is going to end up sending you Christmas cards and naming his firstborn after you. But that's hard on your wallet, and harder on your colon, so get over your failure and get back in the kitchen!

I poured my heart out to a girl once, and she left town with another guy three days later. Another three days later I met the woman I ended up marrying, and I almost turned her away. It was tempting. I didn't want to try again after such a miserable rejection...

I have been happily married for three and a half years.

Failure isn't the end of the world; don't let it be the end of you.

[Nick]

heh lately I've been trying to install ubuntu but every iso downloaded from the site gives me a write error when I burn it onto disk.

when I saw this I didn't give up, I tried downloading an older version (since I can always upgrade) but still got write errors so I started thinking it's my disks maybe.

so Next I try to get them to send me a free disk but this can take upto 10 weeks O.O.

I ordered it anyways just in case I can never get my own disk working but the next thing I do is contact my friend who has ubuntu installed and ask if he still had his disk... "No" he says but then he says "I might still have the iso then I'll burn it on a disk, you want it for tuesday?" success!

so tomaroow IO should be on x-chat... the ubuntu version

[Zampano]

You make me ashamed of having forgotten about programming for the past week or two, wtd. I guess I'll just have to get back into it again.

[Mackie]

wtd, you need a blog. If you don't have one already. I'd read it.

[wtd]

I never could get into it, so I just gave up.