Work for it

Work For It

Ferry to Logtown, MS, circa 1900's

You gotta do more than just want it

Do you want something? It really doesn't matter what it is you want- be it a successful career, a happy relationship, a new motorcycle, or maybe a whole new life. Whatever it is you are seeking, though- you can want it all you want, but wanting it simply isn't enough.

You have to work for it

Nothing gained is ever given. You either have to buy it (if you can), steal it (if you dare) or earn it. No matter which path of acquisition you take though, when it all comes down to it- you still have to work for it in some way or another.

Want to buy it? Well, you have to earn the money to buy it, if that is, it is something that even can be bought.

Want to steal it? Again, you are going to have to figure out how you can steal it and get away with it, if it is something that even can be stolen. Not to mention, if you get caught stealing it, chances are you're going to lose it and you’re still going to end up having to pay for it.

But if you earn it... well, that is something truly special, because when you earn it, no one can take it away from you. The trick is, though… once you have it, you have to keep earning it. You have to work to keep it, or risk having someone else that wants it more than you, taking it from you.

When I was a kid, my dad would say “wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one gets filled up first.” Yeah, it was a crude way of saying that sitting around wishing for something to happen was a silly waste of time, but the point was made, regardless. Over time, when my kids would tell their paw-paw they wished for something, he shortened it up to “wish in one hand” then he’d grin at me and let me explain it to them. No matter how crudely the message was delivered though, the point was clear and true- sitting around wishing for something to happen is a waste of valuable time; time that could, instead, be used for working toward making it happen. 

Logtown, MS

The photo above shows a ferry crossing the Pearl River on the South Mississippi/ South Louisiana line. I like the photo for this piece for a few reasons- 1. It shows that, all the way back around 1919 or so, motorcycles were an integral part of the southern landscape (as they still are today); 2. The tenacity of the people back in pre-war America was undisputed; and 3. The ferry is crossing to a town that no longer exists. I’d be willing to bet that few people know the history of Logtown, MS, so I’ll drop a couple of links for you here and here (the second link has some great photos). The short story is, the town, which once thrived as a primary lumber supplier for the region, dwindled over the years until it was finally taken by the U.S. government, because of it’s location in, what would later become, the buffer zone of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center.

You may be asking, what does a Mississippi ghost town have to do with working for something? It’s simple- Logtown’s success began to falter because the community couldn’t, or wouldn’t, sustain it. The sawmills went out of business, one by one, until there was only one left. The surviving mill provided the majority of jobs for the residents there and, when it finally closed down, the town rapidly fell apart, I would imagine that in no small part, due to it’s location. It was fairly isolated, as you will see if you ever decide to take a road trip to the area. By the 1960’s, only around 250 people remained in the small town. There was no other significant industry and the geographic location of the town along the banks of the Pearl River, while ideal for the logging industry, was less appealing to other commerce. Logtown was just as the name implies- a log town. Without logging, there was no Logtown. You see, the founders of Logtown were too short-sighted. They didn’t work toward building a town, they only worked toward building a community that supported their businesses. There was no ambition to found a new city, so there was no effort to try to save it when the businesses closed. Logtown was little more than a “company town.” The only roads in and out existed to support the industry, there were no efforts to draw in visitors or tourists, the local school only offered classes up to the 8th grade and all higher grade students had to be bussed to “nearby” Bay St. Louis (which was several miles away, on the other side of the county). 

By the time NASA began to move into the area in the 1960’s, the government bought out the remaining 250 or so residents of Logtown and the town was officially abandoned, leaving little more than a few remnants of what remained and a single cemetery that still exists today. You see, NASA, or rather, the U.S. government, wanted the small town more than the founders and residents of the town did… so they used what they had- the ability to buy it.

If you’re a local to the Gulf Coast, can you imagine if the founders of the town had worked to keep Logtown and worked to establish it as a prominent city on the Coast? I wonder how much the coastal landscape would have been different than it is today? NASA would have moved their site further north along the river to adjust the buffer zone? Perhaps western Hancock County would have been more developed, with a thriving city, neighborhoods, businesses or shopping malls? I suppose no one knows what could have been, but one thing is certain, no one fought to keep the town, so it’s obvious that one one wanted it enough to put in the work to keep it.

Motorcycles, relationships and promotions

I fancy myself a writer (albeit, not a very good one), and sometimes, a story teller, so maybe my analogies aren’t always as easy to relate to as I’d like them to be. As such, I get that the example of Logtown might not be the one that rings your bell, so I’ll go for the easy three:

• Motorcycles, 
• Relationships
• Promotions

These should be easy. If you haven’t figured this out yet, I love motorcycles- new, old, big, small… if it has two wheels, I’m interested. For me, while I have some great bikes that I’m really happy with, I’m also always interested in adding to the collection when the right one comes along. As with every bike I have, and used to have, I had to work for it. Wanting it wasn’t enough- no, no. I had to work for it. When I bought the Road King, I had to commit to working to keep it, every month, for the term of the loan (it was, after all, the most expensive motorcycle that I’ve bought to date). No work + no pay = no motorcycle. For my Dyna, while it was significantly less expensive than the Road King, it also didn’t run, was rusty, crusty, corroded in all the wrong places and generally looked like it had been hit with a bag of turds. I had to work to get it back on the road, to make it look good and to make it run, reliably, every time I got on it. Having it on the lift and “wanting” it to run, wasn’t going to cut it (and paying someone for something I can do myself, simply isn’t ever an option).

Relationships. Relationships require constant work. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who has been married for more than a few years. I would venture to bet that they will all tell you the same thing- it takes work, a lot of work, as a matter of fact. Through the years, as things change, as people come and go in your lives, as financial burdens come and (hesitantly) go, as temptations emerge from, and fade into, the shadows… you have to work to remain faithful, frugal, strong, vulnerable, tender and tough. You have to focus, and refocus, through the years in order to survive the burdens of time. The reward is a strong, loving relationship with someone with whom you share history with. With someone who understands why you are the way you are, and who helps you to be a better person every day. There are few things better than being in a good relationship.

Promotions should be the easiest of all three, to explain the concept of working for it. If you want a job, you have to go through some process of getting it… that takes work. You may need a special education, or training… these take work. Once you get the job, you have to work to keep it. You can’t clock in every day, sit on your ass and do nothing, and expect to not get fired. No, you have to do the job they are paying you to do. What’s next? Do you want to promote? Of course you do! Maybe you want to be promoted to supervisor? Or perhaps, you want to be over a special division, project, unit or team? Promotions and advancements are competitive and “wanting it” is equal to my dad’s analogy for wishing. You can want it until you’re blue in the face, but as long as there is someone else willing to work, or work harder than you, for it… that person is going to be the one chosen over you. Now, of course, this may not always be the case, after all, some good ass-kissing to the right people might give someone an edge in the right (or wrong) place of business, but when they get their  brown-nose in the position and ultimately fail, it will just be a matter of time before they are kicked out, demoted or maybe even fired, and the hard worker put in their place. The reason is simple- the machine has to work and if the machine doesn’t work, someone is going to be held accountable for the losses. If you are the worker- the one who passes up the opportunity to drink coffee with the boss or tell him/her that their necktie really brings out the color in their eyes, in order to get the job done and keep the machine running, then you will be the asset, and the brown-nose will be the ass.

I hope this helps

I genuinely hope this helps someone out there to re-focus, re-energize and get to work on making their dreams come true. My dad taught me at a young age to work. He taught me the importance of working on my own cars (and later motorcycles), he taught me how to make household repairs and renovations- fix plumbing, electrical, sheetrock (which I still hate) and build sheds. I learned how to keep what I had running, and in my adult life, I learned how to maintain my home and my marriage, be a good husband and try to be a good father. Each generation wants to make life a little easier for their kids, but the disservice is, that each generation will raise their kids to become more reliant on other people until there is no one out there that can do anything for themselves. I tried to raise my kids with the same values and lessons that I was blessed with as a kid… and from what I’ve seen so far, those lessons seem to be sticking. I’m also really glad that they didn’t actually poop in their hands while making a wish.

Ride safe and make good choices, MotoReaders and remember, to wish in one hand, and work hard with the other.

Remember your "WHY"

 Why 

Often, in my line of work, I can answer most questions... but the one that escapes me the most is the "why". The rest are relatively easy- who, what, when, where and how are pretty easy to identify, but it's the "why" that is the toughest to figure out because the "why" speaks to a person's motivations, their reasons, their causes, their beliefs, their education or intelligence level and, sometimes, there simply is no reason at all for why someone does something... it's just... random. Maybe it's a sudden act or decision based on impulse, a situational opportunity or maybe, it's simply inexplicable... motivated by nothing more than a full moon, a cool breeze and a foggy brain. If you haven't figured it out yet- I'm in middle management and I'm constantly having to appease the people above me, protect the people under me and keep everyone motivated to keep doing their jobs to the most efficient level possible. 

The drudgery

Prior to my current assignment in the "company", I was in a human resources type of position where I primarily dealt with staffing and complaints. There was a LOT of paperwork associated with that job and there were deadlines, commitments and frustrations that kept me busy, working late pretty regularly. Prior to that position, I was a low-level supervisor for over a decade and let me tell you... that job was great, really great, but eventually, the gripes and complaints from my line workers eventually brought me down. I began feeling like the "ivory tower" folks (you know- those guys and gals who are in nice, comfy, climate controlled offices safe inside the building, far away from the dangers and aggravations of the job) had forgotten their "whys" and were only there to earn a fat paycheck on the backs of their subordinates. It's easy to get caught up in that negativity, especially when you live with it daily. 

In getting transferred to the HR job though, suddenly, I became one of those "ivory tower" folks. I felt like a square peg in a round hole for almost four years- I never did feel like I fit in with them. Maybe it was them- maybe I wasn't one of them- or maybe it was me. Maybe I didn't want to fit in because I felt like I was somehow betraying those that I was in the trenches with for so long, by being in that big office with the window that looked out over those workers that I used to lead. In the HR job, I was "technically" over everyone of the line workers in the company, but I didn't have any direct contact with them on most days. I would pass them in the halls and in the parking lot and I would see that fading gleam of hope for better days in their eyes. They wanted help. They wanted relief. They wanted leadership and guidance. 

The change

It was in my comfortable, climate controlled office within the "ivory tower" that I remembered my "why." I remembered why I was doing what I was doing. I remembered my motivations and I remembered who I was there to help. I also realized, by being behind the curtain and seeing the "great and powerful OZ", so to speak, that the vast majority of guys and gals in the "ivory tower" were working diligently to improve the conditions of the workplace, but their work efforts simply couldn't be seen due to the nature of what it was. Don't get me wrong, there were (and still are) some that are only there to earn a fat paycheck on the efforts of the laborers, but that can't be helped, no matter what company, business or organization that you work for. There will always be those narcissistic, egotistical sycophants that boss everyone around without due regard for what is best for the worker or the company. But, just as there is dark, there is light, and it's the ones that do care, that do want what's best for the employees, the company and the customers that are the lights by which you should be guided. 

That's when things started to change for me and for the guys and gals that I interacted with. It was in that epiphany, where I was able to start making positive changes in the company, and in my career, which also led to my personal happiness and job satisfaction. Now, I don't want you to think I did all this myself. I had a LOT of help from some really great supervisors and friends. Great leadership promotes great leaders and, while I've had some real shit-bomb supervisors, I've had some really exceptional leaders who helped me, guided me and led me by their examples. 

My why

My why became clear. I wanted to make my "company" great. I wanted to do it, not for the big bosses (even though they would benefit from it), I wanted to do it for the men and women who are out there, everyday, doing the hard job. I wanted to do it for our "customers", who pay for our services and keep us employed. I wanted to do it, because my "company" has been in business for over 120 years and I don't want to see it fail under my watch because I didn't do my part. When you work somewhere for over 20 years, you naturally get complacent in your job, your attitude and sometimes, your work product. I didn't want to be that guy. 

I can only guess, that by me finding my "why" again, showing it in my daily work product and my overall attitude, got noticed by the big bosses, because I finally got the promotion that I had been after for over a decade. With that promotion, I was able to get back to being a square peg in a square hole. I moved out of that big comfy office and got back to the men and women that I had been working for all those years. It was amazing. Was. 

Enter, the lifesuckers

Oh yes. The lifesuckers. You know them, they are the ones that see happiness, joy and positivity and they are drawn to it- not to bathe in the warmth of it, not to embrace the light of it, no, no... they are drawn to it to quash it. They want to destroy it. They fear it and therefore, they must kill it. They can't help it, it's in their nature to do so, because they know they are inferior. They know they are hiding their insecurities in their darkness. They know they aren't fit to lead and that, in the presence of happiness, their shortcomings could be revealed. So they do what they do- they suck the life out of every  smile, every laugh, every good day. They use (and abuse) their authority and their positions in the company to cause discontent among the workers. You know the ones... the people that believe in the mantra of "the beatings will continue until morale improves." 

The lifesuckers started getting to me. They have come at me with their constant barrage of attacks. They have shortchanged me, cut my legs out from under me and have burdened me with more and more, trying to break me. And they almost did.

My "why" reminder

Yesterday though... after a solid week of contemplating what in the actual hell I was putting up with all these attacks for, I was reminded of my "why", once again. I saw a group of new employees. Their smiling faces, celebrating their accomplishments with joy in their hearts and excitement and anticipation on their minds, reminded me of my "why" once again. I was reminded that they are a big part of the reason that I'm back where I am. I was reminded of my employees that look to me for guidance, leadership, positivity and strength. I was reminded that I am the one that is there to protect them from the lifesuckers, the joy stealers and the shitty leaders that seek to keep them down, instead of building them up. I was reminded of the friends and confidants that have helped me, and that continue to help me on a daily basis. 

Remember your why

I'll wrap up with this- remember your why and don't let those lifesuckers tear your down. Remember why you are doing what your doing and who you are doing it for. Remember that, no matter how high up the "ladder" you get, you got there with the help and dedication of those under you. Remember that there are three types of people above you- those few that are trying to pull you up, those that don't really care if you stay where you are and those other, nefarious bastards, that want to hold you down and keep you where you are because they are afraid that you'll expose their shortcomings and possibly take their jobs. Be positive. Be the light that guides others who might be stuck in the dark. Lead them out of the dark and push them forward into the light. Teach them how to do your job and encourage them to advance. Most of all- let them be happy and let yourself be happy. 

Stay positive and ride safe, MotoReaders.