In a matter of a few hours, 2014 will end and 2015 will
begin and with the close of every year, I thought I would take some time to
discuss some of the lessons I have learned from the past year.
Lesson #1:
I don’t have to like you personally in order for me to work
with you, but if you prove to be a burden on me or your other coworkers; then I
will truly resent you. For the better
part of the latter part of the year, I have found myself growing increasingly
frustrated by a growing number of my coworkers and while I still enjoy my job;
I’m slowly growing out of like with many of my peers. From blatant laziness to outright subversion,
I’m learning that the number of coworkers I can trust are far fewer than the
ones I mistrust. Perhaps, it is my own
fault that I have lowered my guard around these individuals, but at the same
time; I am trying my hardest to get on with my peers. In truth, I believe in the year ahead, I am
going to have to reexamine my workplace relationships and adjust my handling of
certain coworkers. I realize that this
sounds horrid, but if I am to advance my own goals; I am going to have to stay
ahead of the game.
Lesson #2
Always manage one’s expectations because more often than
not, managed expectations will lead to pleasant surprises when one’s
expectations are met or exceeded. The
finest example of this lesson from the past year would be the Carolina
Panthers. Going into the season many
experts picked the defending NFC South Division Champions to finish third in
the division behind Atlanta and New Orleans and look at what happened: the Panthers repeated as division winners
with a 7-8-1 (they didn’t even have a winning record!) The same could be said of Manchester
United. Sure, there were some hardcore
supporters that always select the Red Devils to win the Premier League, but
given the results of the previous campaign and the changing of the guard (yet
again) at the managerial position and one could easily say that they would need
at least one campaign if not two to gather their footing and return to the form
that supporters are accustomed to seeing.
But, look at the Red Devils: they
sit in third place and are favorites to return to the UEFA Champions League
during the next campaign. All of these
things were a pleasant surprise because I managed my expectations and kept them
reasonable in my opinion.
Lesson #3
I’m going to be lonely for the remainder of my life and I
will die alone. In truth, everyone dies
alone—you may die at approximately the same time, but the end result is that
you pass on from this life alone and you return to stars alone or from a
psychological standpoint (is it psychological?); you’re no longer conscious of
whether or not you’re alone. Anyway,
that’s not the point I was getting at in this lesson. Basically, I’m going to be a single male for
the rest of my life. I’m 31 years old
and to date I have been in no meaningful relationships and the only physical
relationship I’ve been a party to was just physical. For anyone that has read a decent number of
my updates, you would know that for some time now I had been smitten with a
coworker, Emily, and despite my many vague and veiled attempts to gauge her
thoughts on me; I have come to the conclusion that my adoration for her is
unrequited. In truth, at one point, she
was becoming such a distraction that in for me to move on; I needed to loathe
her and that may still be the way to go about it. I can’t deny that I still hold on to my
unrequited feelings, but I slowly accepting that I need to let it go by any
means necessary. Now, this isn’t to say
that Emily was the only person for me—I’m most certain she isn’t—but I’m just
not interested in playing this game though I was never really an active
participant. I’ve been hurt on a number
of occasions and truthfully, I hate feeling shitty about myself unless I’m the
one inflicted the anguish.
Anyway, those are the lessons I have learned from the past
year. If they sound depressing, it is
because they are depressing. I’m not
always a miserable individual, but it does seem as though a significant segment
of my life is mired in some sort of negativity.
But, on a more positive note, I do persevere and continue to exist. Perhaps, things will change in the New Year,
but given my track record; I wouldn’t count on it.
