Wake up call

I realize blogs are not necessarily supposed to be about yourself... but then again sometimes they have to be. So here goes.

Have you ever come to the unsettling realization that you are less flexible than you realize? That perhaps while you posses more flaws then you can count on all your fingers and toes, you are often intolerant of the flaws of others? I appear to have come to this most unnerving conclusion... I know it’s ironic considering that I've been going off about convergence for a few blogs now – but despite all the perks of it…I’m not sure I’m very good at it.

The diagnosis is in, the doctor has spoken and it appears that in addition to my chronic pen-is-attached-to-my-hand-itis, I am also suffering from most-difficult-human being-to-edit-without-flipping-a-shit-osis.

I realize that potential employers may be reading this and I might be coming off as nothing less than a totally blacklisted human being in terms of being hired... anywhere. However a revelation is a revelation and I write everything so here it is.

I am the person that gets a paper or story I wrote back from a teacher or editor and look at the smiley faces and "nice works" and "great jobs" and feel really great about myself. But up until recently I never really saw the "awks" the "not quites" the "I don't get it, what were you thinkings?" I just glanced right over them.

I got a wake up call.

No one likes wake up calls. One minute you're relaxing and sleeping in your hotel bed and the next thing you know there goes that phone. You don't choose your words wisely at all, you curse, you freak out, you get pretty upset, I mean it's an embarrassing thing, I'm glad more people don't see me wake up... but then when you're out of your comfy bed and awake... you're a happier (and more productive) human being. The wake up call, uncomfortable, perhaps unwanted, is all together necessary.

I think now, and I have to test this theory, I can figure things out a little better. Can manage to understand that while the awks are, indeed, frustrating, no one grows from the nice works... in fact I would encourage anyone who ever works with me to leave them out completely apparently my ego is already hurting my neck, there is no need to do futher damage.

Working with people is imperative, not just in terms of good journalism but in terms of good anything… good everything. If one person could do it all on their own, then what the hell are the rest of us doing anyway?

RIIING RIIING RIIING: This is your wake up call… swallow your pride, look at your criticism, get better at what you do.

I might still be in the waking up process, but it’s better than being dead asleep.