Category Archives: Things

How Do You Really Get A Job You LOVE?

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My single most read blog post ever is – How Do You Really Get An Entry Level Job?  It’s about a woman who reached out to me and asked me for advice – so I gave her 5 tips on how I would go about getting a job if I had her skill sets and resume.   One major difference between getting an ‘entry level’ job and getting a job you ‘love’ is that when you’re just trying to get your first job – my advice is to take anything!  I mean anything!  I’ll take out the trash, I’ll answer phones, I’ll wash your car – just let me get in the door – my talent will take over from there and eventually I’ll move up the chain.  Most folks don’t think of taking out the garbage when they think of getting a job they ‘LOVE’.

So, how do you get a job that you ‘Love’ – I mean one of those jobs that doesn’t seem like work because you ‘Love’ it so much?  One of those jobs where you would be willing to take less money to be able to do it.  That’s the key.  You see I get asked frequently what my ‘dream’ job would be – I have had the same answer for at least 20 years – Head Coach, Los Angles Lakers.  That’s my ‘dream’ job – for a couple of reasons – I love basketball, love the Lakers and that I would be getting huge BANK!   I don’t know if I would ‘Love’ the job – but I sure would give it a lot of hugs and kisses.  Now, if someone said, “Tim, we are going to offer you the head coaching position for the Lakers, but it only pays $75,000.”  I would decline – because I wouldn’t ‘Love’ that job for $75,000.  I would ‘Love’ that job for about $1M per season – which would be a bargain for my skill set – Mr. Buss!

That word ‘Love’ is real tricky.  Many people say the ‘Love’ their job – but you ask them to take a 10% pay cut and they don’t ‘Love’ it anymore.  Here’s how you get a job you Really Love:

1. Know what it is you ‘Love’ – Too many folks want a job they love – but they don’t even know what it is they love to do.   “Well, Tim, I love to sit on the couch and watch movies.”  That’s a very easy job to get! Congratulations – have fun with that – plus you might want to find someone willing to support you in your new chosen profession.  I don’t say that in jest – that really isn’t that hard!  I know quite of few ladies who have chosen to do Yoga each day and have lunch with the ladies – they ‘Love’ their jobs!  They’ve found ways to get supported in doing their jobs.  Guys – don’t be haters – I know guys who have found ‘sponsors’ that let them stay home and fish and golf – face it – they must be really good at something – or they’re better at finding suckers than you!

2. Understand that something you ‘Love’ at 20, might be different at 30, and 40, and... – I wanted to be a teacher from age 12 to about age 23 – even today I love interacting with children – I’ve done youth sports coaching for the past 20 years.  I got my undergrad degree in Elementary Education.  I was 100% positive -teaching was a job I would ‘Love’.  I found out that it wasn’t.  I fell out of ‘Love’ with teaching.  I see so many folks who ‘Love’ something, do it for a while, then realize they don’t really love it anymore – but they have this idea that you can’t stop loving something and move on to the next thing.  It’s alright to stop loving a job you once loved.   Want a job you ‘love’?  Sometimes that means leaving a job you once loved.

3. Realize, falling in ‘Love’ is sometimes the greatest part of finding a job you ‘Love’ – Too many people get set on finding a job they are instantly in love with.  Most times, loving a job doesn’t work like that.  Many times you fall in love with a job you initially didn’t like very much.  I’m fairly certain the first time I met my wife she wasn’t instantly in love with me!  But I wore her down.  Jobs can be like that!  They seem kind of average, then over time you begin to realize you really are in love with it.  Don’t get caught up in the notion you need to instantly be ‘in love’ with a job to eventually ‘love’ your job.

Do you love your job?

You Make My World Happier

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I was watching an update on Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, recently, in regards to her battle with Cancer and MDS (Yeah – how unlucky are you to get both!).  I like Robin, because before GMA, she was an ESPN announcer and before that a basketball player.  She also spoke at my wife’s NCAA Female Athlete of the year ceremony way back in our college days – so we have been fans of her for a long time.  Anyway, she is a fighter and returned to GMA this past month.  This post is not about her – it’s about how she makes people feel.

In the ABC update on her health, they interviewed some of her co-workers and one of them said this:

“Robin makes my world Happier, every day.”

I’ve really never been one to think about how others think of me. Or for that matter how others will think of me when I’m gone, but this struck me instantly.  Everyone thinks about how they want to be remembered in very different ways.  Maybe you want people to remember you as kind, or charitable, or caring.   Some will want to be remembered for helping others, or helping a certain cause they are fond of.  Others will want to be remembered as a good partner or parent or friend.  Everyone thinks of this in a very personal context and some refuse to think of it all, scared of even thinking of their own mortality.

I like the happiness concept.  I like it a lot!  You see, I have high expectations in life and I know I put those expectations onto others – my wife, my sons, my family and friends – those who I work with.  I expect that when someone sees something wrong, they’ll fix it.  I expect when you’re not doing your best work, you’ll make the necessary changes to turn that around.  I expect greatness, not goodness, not average, and I want people around me who want better, who want more, who aren’t satisfied.

That being said – I don’t want to be remembered as being someone who wasn’t satisfied with life.  I love life.  I love my wife and kids.  I love what I do for a living.  I want to be like Robin.  I want to be that person when someone asks to describe ‘Tim’ they say – “He makes my world Happier.”  I’m not there right now.  I have some happiness work to do.  But I love the goal I’ve set for myself: Make someones world Happier!  That’s a goal I can strive for everyday.

Paul Hebert Day Celebration!

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A year ago today, my friends in the HR Community, made up a holiday just for me!  On January 23, 2012 Tim Sackett Day was born! The holiday was created as a tongue in cheek, sorta F you to all of the ‘most influential‘ Top 100, Top 25, etc. lists that were being created.  I was against most of these lists, primarily because I was being left off most of these lists! I was surprised by this gesture!  I was flattered and it was really funny!  January 23rd became my day.

For the 2nd Annual Tim Sackett Day – we (those same HR friends – Laurie Ruettimann, Lance Haun, Kris Dunn, Matt Stollack, Steve Boese, etc.) decided it would be best to keep the spirit of the day (recognizing a Great HR Pro like myself – who is under-appreciated!) and make January 23, 2013 – Paul Hebert Day!

Don’t know Paul – well you should!  He’s a Pros – Pro.

Paul Hebert is a fellow Fistful of Talent Contributor – Badge #03 – Paul is one of the originals at FOT!

From his FOT Bio:

“Paul Hebert is the Vice President of Solution Design at Symbolist.  Paul’s mission is to humanize the business relationships needed to drive greater employee, channel and customer loyalty.  His is dedicated to creating true emotional connections often overlooked in our automated, tech-enabled world.  He is currently working to combine 1,000 posts on influencing behavior at his old site: http://www.i2i-align.com with his new team at Symbolist: http://symbolist.com.”

What does Paul specialize in?  Incentives and Performance Motivation – and he really knows his stuff!   I’m fortunate to have him in my circle of trust being on the FOT team together and I’ve frequently gone to Paul with incentive questions/issues I have, and he always comes back with some very straightforward, slap me across the face, advice.  In HR many times we know what we should be doing – but we do other stupid stuff instead – because the other stuff is too hard or too uncomfortable – Paul doesn’t let you do that!

What else is there to know about Paul – the dude is a fighter!  He’s fighting Bladder Cancer right now and started a site – PeeStrong.com – which gives you a little insight to his personality!  Check it out – Paul writes over there about his fight in the same frank matter that he writes about incentive and employee motivation.  It’s refreshing and needed.

Look, I know many of you are probably a little shocked right now.  You had major Tim Sackett Day parties planned and your mind is racing on what is happening.  It’s O.K. – relax – the nice thing about today turning into Paul Hebert Day is Paul and I would both want you to celebrate in a very similar matter.  Sit down with friends and family, select your favorite beverage, light up an expensive cigar and enjoy the conversation – that’s what Paul Hebert Day/Tim Sackett Day is all about!

Have a wonderful holiday!

The Longest Mile…

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You know the saying “walk a mile in their shoes”?  It’s usually said when someone is overheard judging someone else – and it comes out – “well, I guess you’d have to walk a mile in their shoes to really know” or some variation that is similar.  I feel very strongly about this with the recent developments with Lance Armstrong.  I don’t find myself judging him, in fact, I find myself thanking God I have never been put in that type of situation where my morality would be so tested!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a Lance Armstrong supporter.  I usually hold my support for those I’ve sat down and have broken bread with – and, well, Lance and I just run in different circles.  I actually feel very indifferent towards the whole Lance thing.   I am a little put off, though, by folks who claim they could never do what he did.  Let me give you the quick run down of what he did:

1. Started Professional Cycling.

2. Found out to compete in professional cycling you would have to do Performance Enhancing Drugs and Lie.

3. Made decision to do Performance Enhancing Drugs and to lie.

4. Made a crap ton of money.

5. Destroyed peoples lives to continue to make a crap ton of money.

6. Got Cancer.

7. Decided to fight cancer and use his money and notoriety to start a widely successful Cancer Foundation.

8. Uses influence and motivation t0 help save untold lives through his foundation.

9. Finally admitted to cheating and lying on Oprah.

Did that pretty much sum it up? For the most part…

To be perfectly honest – if I was put in Lance Armstrong shoes – I can’t tell you that I wouldn’t do the same thing.  I could lie to you and tell you I would never do that, but I’m thankful to never have been put in that situation.  99.99% of us will never have our morality tested like this – be thankful, not judgmental.  Remember the movie The Good Son?  Average movie, one great scene – Mom at the end, hanging over a cliff, hanging on to her two sons from falling to their certain death, one by each arm.  If she holds onto both – both will eventually slip from her grasp and fall to their death.  She has to let one drop and save one.  Which one?  As a parent, I would rather die myself than to have to make that decision – most parents would.  Thankfully most of us will never be tested like that.  Lance was tested.  He failed.

You can almost see his thought process of justification: did something really bad – foundation will make up for bad stuff.  Fortunately, again, I’m glad to not have to live my life being judged on one decision I made, deciding my fate for the rest of my life, no matter what other decisions I’ve made since.  I wonder if Lance ever would have done anything good – if he never got cancer!? He never gets cancer, you never have the LiveStrong foundation. There’s no argument on this guy.  He’s just bad. (oh, boy that’s a whole other post!)

I can’t imagine how long of a mile it must be to walk in Armstrong’s shoes – or even bike it!  I pray I never have to know.

An Open Annual Holiday Letter

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Each year for the past 15 years I’ve written an annual Sackett Family Holiday letter that got sent out to friends and family.  Now that I have a blog, the thought of writing a letter to be mailed out seemed so 2005!  So, I decided to just write my annual letter here instead – send out the link – and Bam – I saved a couple hundred bucks in snowflake paper, printing and postage!  We are right in the middle of annual holiday letter season right now – yesterday I actually received 8 in the mail, and I would say that’s probably an average daily number.

Nowadays, you don’t just receive a letter, but you also receive the annual family pic as well – it’s usually the straight Sears Photo Studio annual Christmas Tree backdrop or the beach shot from Spring Break last year with everyone in swim suites and Santa hats.  Most people just go with the kids – because they hate showing how they’ve let themselves go – it’s easier to show their ugly kids who’ve let themselves go. We’ve gotten into the habit of sending out a picture Christmas Tree Ornament to each family on our list – that way we can ruin your perfectly decorated tree with our family photo!  And believe me, I check to see if you’ve put it up when I come to visit during the holidays.  Nothing says Christmas like a picture of a family of Jews on your tree!

Typical Annual Sackett Holiday Letter:

Paragraph 1: I make some joke to a popular cultural happening that took place in 2012 – this year it would have been probably something to do with the Olympics or the Election.  I will talk about how Michigan State is Awesome, and how Michigan sucks – doesn’t even matter if this was actually true during the year.

Paragraphs 2-4: I have 3 sons, so the main body of the annual letter is about how genetically superior my children are as compared to yours.  Athletically, academically and spiritually my kids are great and the intent of this section is to point this out to you.   My hope is that you’ll actually feel jealously and start to push your kids a little harder – it’s my annual gift to you as a parent, a little push so-to-speak.  Either way, they will never catch my kids who are just better.  (True story – I made a joke about his in one of our letters and my grandmother got upset – “How could you say your kids are better than other peoples?”  My response was like – “Really, Grandma!? Let’s force rank’em, you know mine are better!” Kidding Grandma!!)

Paragraph 5:   This paragraph is about how awesome and beautiful my wife is.  This single paragraph usually takes me about a week to write, because of re-writes. You have to be extra careful in this section – you want to be witty, but not to witty. You want to show how great she is, but not so great her girlfriends will call her a ‘bitch’ when they read it.  The entire intent of this paragraph is that when her girlfriends read it, they say “Ahhh!”, in a good I wish-my-husband-would-say-that-about-me way.

Paragraph 6: This one is about me. It’s usually the same thing – Work, chasing boys, repeat.

The Big Close: It’s Coop Quotes!  It use to the best quotes of the year from all the boys – but the older boys would now be embarrassed to have their quotes sent out to the world, plus Coop just says funny stuff – so for the last 5 or so years – we’ve just done the best quotes of the year from Coop.  My wife and I actually send each other emails when we hear a good one, that way we don’t forget them throughout the year! This year’s Coop Quotes:

  • “It’s not called cheating, it’s called winning!” -After Cam caught him cheating at a game they were playing.
  • “Boys and girls are similar, but girls have a backbone.” -Coop clearly understanding the reproductive differences between the sexes.
  • “Canada!” -When Keaton asked Cooper where Mexicans were from

 

Top 25 Rap Lyrics That Shaped My Leadership Style

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This year I did blog series on The Top 25 Rap Lyrics that shaped my leadership style.  The posts, individually, still get clicked a ton, so I decided to do a compilation of the 25 posts to make it easier for new readers to find all 25 (I know my family is really proud of me right now!). Taken out of context of the original post, you might be asking yourself “How the hell did this shape his leadership style?” If you find yourself asking that, click through the link to read the explanation!

Here you go – The Top 25 Rap Lyrics That Shaped My Leadership Style with links to the original posts:

1. “It’s like the more money we come across, the more problems we see” -Notorious B.I.G.

2. “Today I didn’t even have to use my A.K., I got to say it was a good day” -Ice Cube

3. “What does it take to be number 1? Two is not a winner and three nobody remembers.” -Nelly

4. “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man.” -Jay-Z

5. “When I wake up, people take up, mostly all of my time. I’m not singin’, phone keep ringin’, so I make up a rhyme.” -RUN DMC

6. “It’s funny how someone else’s success brings pain.” -Drake

7. “Success is my drug of choice…” – 50 Cent

8. “Forgive, but don’t forget.” -2Pac

9. “True happiness is not acquired, and you won’t find it on sale.” -Outkast

10. “At exactly which point do you realize, that life without knowledge is death in disguise.” -Talib Kweli

11. “You’re young and dumb and quick with the tongue.” -Kool Mo Dee

12. “I hear the criticism loud and clear.  That is how I know that the time is near. So we become alive in a time of fear” -Nicki Minaj

13. “We all self conscious. I’m just the first to admit it.” -Kanye West

14. “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity, To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, Would you capture it or just let it slip?” -Eminem

15. “Now you can be a victim, or you can lock and load.” -50 Cent

16. “They say I need to learn, but nobody’s here to teach me. If they don’t understand, how can they reach me?” -Coolio

17. “You’re nobody till someone kills you.” -Notorious B.I.G.

18. “Pay us like you owe us for all the years that you hold us.  We can talk, but money talksso talk mo’ bucks.” -Jay-Z

19. “I had nothing, and I wanted it; You had everything, and you flaunted it...” -Ice T

20. “He’s only mediocre, jealousy can’t get with me.” -LL Cool J

21. “Elvis shaved his head when he went into the Army.” -Beastie Boys

22. “When the grass is cut, the snakes will show.” -Jay-Z

23. “ya know a lot of people believe that that word Love is real soft, but when you use it in your vocabulary like your addicted to it, it sneaks right up and takes you right out. So, for future reference, remember it’s alright to like or want a material item, but when you fall in love with it and you start scheming and carrying on for it, just remember, it’s gonna get’cha.” -KRS-1

24. “I think about more than I forget; but I don’t go around fire expecting not to sweat.” -Little Wayne

25. “Change, shit I guess change is good for any of us. Whatever it take for any of y’all niggaz to get up out the hood. Shit, I’m wit cha, I ain’t mad at cha.Got nuttin but love for ya, do your thing boy.” – 2 Pac

 

What Your Office Holiday Party Drink Selection Says About You

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My friend, and newly named Chair of the HR Technology Conference, Steve Boese, made a comment on the back channel recently about how he was ‘looking forward’ to all the HR bloggers writing their annual posts on how employees can keep themselves out of trouble at the annual holiday office party.  Let’s face it Steve – HR folks aren’t the most creative – plus, we usually stick with what got us here! (namely safe, lame posts, preaching crap everyone already knows)

But, Steve got me thinking – I wanted to do the annual office holiday party post one better and add a little spice – so I asked a few of my friends to give me their annual Office Holiday Party drink selections – and then I would analyze what this said about them and their possible career!  What could go wrong!?

First up – let’s start with the idea generator himself – Steve Boese:

Drink Selection: Light Beer

What ordering Light Beer says about your career:  I’m going ‘light’ because I want to give the impression I still care about my appearance, and I’m also a guy of the people.  I like to fit in and nothing says ‘fittin in’ like a Light Beer.  Plus, I don’t want to get to drunk, I’ve got the midnight SportsCenter DVR’d to watch when I get home.

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Laurie Ruettimann:

Drink Selection: Prohibition Punch

What ordering Prohibition Punch says about your career: Please get me drunk as fast as possible because I can’t stand being around any of these people, but 3 PP’s into the night and I’ll be selecting who’s going to be taking me home tonight. Classic HR lady cocktail choice and move!

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Matt (aka Bruno) Stollak:

Drink Selection: Rusty Nail

What ordering a Rusty Nail says about your career: No one here is going to want to talk to me, so I better order something odd, so I have a small topic of conversation ready to go at a moments notice.  The Rusty Nail also let’s everyone know you’re dangerous, like an accountant willing to go home with the drunk HR lady drinking that weird punch.

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William Tincup:

Drink Selection: Sidecar (times 20 apparently also goes with William’s order)

What ordering a Sidecar says about your career: Basically, after 20 Sidecars, you’re saying I give a shit about my career, but the owner’s wife is really hot – I mean hot enough, that I think I’m in love – I mean so f’ing hot that I’m going to propose to her tonight, right now – YOLO! By the way, which one of those people over there is the owner’s wife?

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Me:

Drink Selection: Bombay Sapphire and Tonic, with a lime

What ordering this drink says about my career: I’m paying the bill and I have a personal pilates session in the morning with my life coach, Surge – and I don’t want a headache.

Drink Selection #2: Red Bull and Grey Goose

What ordering this drink says about my career: I work with young people and they were ordering it, so I wanted to look hip or cool or whatever they call it now days.  Plus, I have no idea what I’m doing by ruining perfectly good Grey Goose with a mixture of Red Bull.

True Story Alert – Two Office Holiday Parties ago, at a small tucked away bar in Lansing, MI – I had 4 Red Bulls and Grey Goose.  I never had, had one and some of the ‘kids’ in the office were ordering them.  I played along.  At 40 I turn into a pumpkin after the 11 o’clock news, so what the hell – what trouble can you get into before 11:30pm?  Apparently, the ‘kids’ didn’t tell me you shouldn’t keep drinking Red Bull and Grey Goose – that’s just a starter drink, to get you going.  At 3:30am I was finally able to fall asleep.

Drink Selection #3: Kamikaze shots

What ordering this drink says about my career: My office holiday party doesn’t really get started until one of the ‘kids’ begins to order Kamikaze shots.  I like to get the party started, because I turned into a pumpkin around 11:30pm.  Kamikaze’s seem to do the trick.

 

So, what drink will you be ordering at your office party this year?

P.S. – thanks to my friends for playing along!

The 6 Best Holidays

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We’re right in the midst of this big holiday season and everyone seems to have a favorite.  I think most kids love Christmas and Halloween.  I mean my kids are Jewish and they still love Christmas – well, let’s face it, they love getting gifts and like any good Jewish Mom and Dad we make sure they get more gifts then their Christian friends!  Many adults love Thanksgiving – all the food, football, black Friday shopping, etc. But everyone has a favorite!

I’m going to give you my list of favorite holidays:

1. Tim Sackett Day – Yeah, how soon we all forget! January 23, 2013 will be the 2nd Annual Tim Sackett Day, and it is the one day of the year we can all come together as one, and just think about me for a while.  In lieu of gifts this year, I’ll be asking people to just make cash donations directly to my bank account, that way when I think about all the poor and needy children in the world and it makes me depressed, I can afford good mental healthcare for myself.

2. The 4th of July – Yep, I like blowing crap up, drinking and the sun – it’s like the triple threat of holidays!  I won’t give $50 bucks for your lame charity walk, but I’ll drop $500 on fireworks and think I underspent.  I mean it’s America!  Red, white and blue. Hotdogs with mustard. 2nd degree burns on your feet from stepping on those metal sparkler wires (pro tip – put a pale of water out when the kids are running around with their sparklers then as they run at you with that red hot wire, they can just throw it in the pale and hear the cool hissing sound it makes!).

3. Labor Day – It’s the official end summer blowout.  The weather is great, you have your grilling skills at peak seasonal shape and you’re only a few days away from your kids returning to school! Let’s be honest, we love our kids, but we love our kids a little more when they are in school all day and we just have to deal with them for about 6 hours between end of school and bedtime.

4. Halloween – There is nothing better than watching your kids sprint for 2 hours straight lugging around 15-20 pounds of candy, and I don’t have to do any of the work!  It can be 13 degrees below zero out and my kids will be sweating on Halloween night.  I love the candy trading negotiations that go on later that night – it’s when you get to see which one of your kids will actually make it in the real world!

5. Hanukkah – 8 crazy nights and none of your Christian friends get it! “Isn’t that your ‘Jewish’ Christmas?” – no, idiot, not even close! “I wish we had Christmas for 8 days!” and I wish you’d burn down your house again deep frying a turkey! Hanukkah is cool for the simple fact its the one time a year, as a kid, your mom let’s you play with fire! Plus the gelt! Yep, it’s not a Jewish holiday until you involve some money!

6. New Years Day – No work, football games all day and starting anew!  For me New Years takes on a special time as well because my first son was born on New Years Day – so we throw a birthday party into the mix, just to ensure we have enough food and cake to make it through all those football games!

Receiving votes, but didn’t make the list: Cinco De Mayo – Tacos and Margaritas – you have to  love Mexican holidays!; St. Patrick’s Day – Green Beer and pinching butts – a HR nightmare!; Father’s Day – I get to do what I want, or what my wife tells me I want to do that day!; Black Friday – I mean who doesn’t want to see idiots get trampled to death at Walmart!

So, friends, what is your favorite holiday?

Um, I didn’t take this job to do work…

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I took this job because you guys have a rocking careers website…

I took this job because of your awesome culture…

I took this job because you your employees wear whatever they want…

I took this job because you serve unlimited gourmet coffee, all day…

I took this job because you give unlimited time off…

I took this job because you offered me more than anyone else…

I took this job because you have the coolest office with a ping pong table…

I took this job because you take your staff to Vegas each year…

I took this job because I don’t have to pay anything for my benefits…

I took this job because you buy beer and pizza on Thursday’s after work…

I took this job because you allow me to bring my dog with me…

I took this job because there are no start or end times…

I took this job because of the free dry cleaning service…

I took this job because everyone is on the same level…

I took this job because, oh wait, you have to do work here…

Things Most People Hate To Talk About

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Hey – it’s voting day – get out and vote – if you don’t, you aren’t allowed to bitch about what’s wrong with America!  If you do vote – Democrat, Republican, People who wasted their vote on a 3rd party – go ahead and bitch away!

I always find it funny when people refuse to discuss certain things – how they vote is a huge one, salary is one, etc.   I’m in HR and Recruiting so I talk salaries everyday with folks and you tend to get pretty comfortable with it.  I’m also very open politically and I have fun with it, and I laugh when someone judges you based on a label you give yourself.  “Oh, you’re a Republican – you must hate women and just love money” – well, I love women and I love money – I also love puppies, my kids and Diet Mt. Dew – not sure how republican that is – but there I said!

I get it – there are a bunch of people who are just idiots and are unable to see beyond who you voted for, so you stay quiet.  It’s lame and shallow of those who are judging you – but welcome to adulthood and reality.

Here’s my voting record since I was old enough to vote:

1988 – Bush, Sr. vs. Dukakis – I voted Bush (I was 18 and Dukakis didn’t seem presidential to me – plus I didn’t know what presidential was or any of the platforms – but MTV wanted me to vote)

1992 – Clinton, Bush and Perot – Perot fascinated me because he was so quirky, but he also scared me liked a creepy uncle.  I was in college (University of Wyoming – Go Pokes!) and I voted Clinton.  I supported woman’s right to have an abortion, I didn’t have any money and I was paying my own way through school – Hello, Democrats!

1996 – Clinton, Dole and Perot – Perot still creepy uncle, but I understood him more. Dole was death walking. Clinton was the guy you wanted to take with you to Vegas.  I voted Clinton – I’m a personality guy and I was doing very well at the time in my career – God Bless America, I wanted four more years of the same.

2000 – George W., Gore and Nader – Gore seemed very intellectual, but was totally different from Clinton. Nader seemed like someone who would bomb a federal building. George W. was likable and owned a baseball team – what more do you need from a President!?  I voted George W. – I was doing very well financially and I wanted to keep more of that money.

2004 – George W. and Kerry – This was the 2nd election in a row where the Democrats bombed on bringing someone “electable” to the table.  4 more years of George W.  – Big Government scares me, lower taxes are good, I hate unions.

2008 – Obama vs. McCain – Some will find this hard to believe – but I totally voted for Obama.  I bought into his message and quite frankly into the whole package.  The country needed someone who could turn the country around and I really thought if anyone could do it – he could, especially over McCain.  I was wrong. Many of us were wrong.

2012 – Obama vs. Romney – I’m voting Romney – I’m traveling out of state today, so I voted early. My hope is when I land they’ll let me vote twice in a new state!  Government spending is out of control.  Obamacare will kill our healthcare system – I know doctors, PT’s, nurses, etc. that just feel this is the totally wrong direction – taking away the cost aspect. Plus I still hate unions and Big government!

So, there you have it – a Republican who votes like an Independent and has social Democrat tendencies.

For the record – I wish we had a true 3rd party option – both the Democrats and Republicans don’t want this because they know all those independents would jump in a heart beat – a true party in the middle. My 3rd Party would have planks to support better education funding at all levels, women’s rights to make their own choices, more states rights and less federal government, a simple tax structure without all the loopholes and a foreign policy that focused on figuring out how to stop making us the world’s police department.

Now go Vote!