Awhile ago on thepoemster blog I told of a bedtime story I was going to read to my kids. The book was “A Fly Went By”.

Tommy actually started to read the book and it went like this.

“A fly went by” and at that point Caroline then two years old blurted out “and kicked you in the ass”.

I used to think that too.

That pretty much ended that story. It was too funny she saying that in her squeaky little voice.

I got to think about the subject matter though and it really is a very relevant book.

The fly was being chased by a frog who was being chased by a cat who was being chased by a dog who was…all the way up to a hunter who was being chased by who knows what kind of evil was making such a clattering noise. It turned out that the “evil being” was a frightened lamb that had gotten her hoof caught in a tin can and was frightened herself.

Nobody was chasing anybody.

It’s easy to feel that everybody is out to get you or keeping you down but the reality most likely is that we all are just trying to do what it is we are trying to do.

It’s easy to feel like you are constantly getting kicked in the ass everytime you turn around.

But that's unproductive.

Mostly, as of late I’ve found that I have been the only one who has been holding me back in any meaningful way. Not intentionally mind you and I’ve yet to fully understand it however it most likely is the same reason as in the children’s story.

Since my spiel about an analogy of my life to a football game and the third quarter hullabaloo (every bit of which I meant) things have been going pretty well.

In the working world I have changed how I present myself to others. I take it upon myself to make the first effort in being amiable and friendly.

At the same time I had to establish that I was credible and capable of doing the job at hand. I knew I was and that was important in order to convey a level of confidence and trust from the people who where responsible for my workmanship. Mission accomplished.

Next up was to be able to get along with other workman and this is no small feat because of the politics and believe it or not because a lot of these guys are pussies. Here is where a little acting ability paid off. And a healthy amount biting my tongue. But the big payoff comes when they invariably talk to the bosses and the bosses realize that the workflow is smoother so they are benefiting from me being there instead of someone who goes against the grain and causes problems. I have become somewhat of the “chosen one” and I laugh all the way to the bank.

A side benefit of being amiable was that no one wants to bust my balls. They know if something is not right I will fix it in a heartbeat with no questions asked and no resistance whatsoever. Being resistant only serves to make them want to exercise their power over you and insist that you fix it. Hehe. I’m telling you this crap works. I call it my “Howdy Doody” approach.

Also, since these units are under a strict deadline working late hours and on weekends is required sometimes. Now it’s one thing to work hard but it is not enough. I watched this show on the life of Ben Franklin and he said this:

“You don’t want to only work hard but you want to be seen working hard”.

I wish I had said that. But it’s enough for me to know it’s true and put it to good use. The bosses know who is consistently working late and who works on weekends and this establishes your dedication and work ethic for the job. This garners their respect and when it's crunch time they come to you.

Back to the game, I’ve been throwing some quick strikes and I'm poised to throw some more touchdowns. I’m still behind but it’s getting interesting and I'm still in this thing.

Since that post I’ve almost doubled my income all because I changed the way I present myself and react to others and I have been having some fun doing it. In six more months maximum I intend to break through the six figure mark. Then I can pay more taxes and be right back where I started from.