Thursday, September 01, 2005

Elation...and Frustration - Part One...

Yay!
I was waiting at my therapist's office for my 10 o'clock appointment, upon which I spied a copy of Fortune magazine in the rack. The words "Microsoft" and "Google" appeared prominently on the cover. Inside, there was an article detailing how Bill Gates is feeling the heat from Google! I thought to myself, "Thank God! Someone has finally taken him (them) to task!"

Are You Scared, Bill?
He is apparently concerned (read: scared) that Google is going to do them in. At first, I thought, "Oh, poor Bill - what will he do now?" But then I thought to myself, "Well, this is what you get when you rest on your laurels, thinking that you had a stronghold on the market, and basking in all your glory! That will teach you!"

Just Fixing Bugs...
Not only that, Microsoft hasn't made any major advances in four years (aside from Longhorn, which keeps getting delayed on a continual basis.) They've been spending time "plugging the holes" that Windows XP, Internet Explorer, Outlook, and the rest have within them. Yes, it's a shame that some poor bastards have nothing better to do with their time than to cripple someone else's computer. Why can't they take that knowledge and put it to good use? I'm sure that Google could use people like that to help develop the software that will bring good ol' Microsoft to its knees.

And This Means...
If Microsoft isn't careful, they could find themselves being surrounded by worthy competitors. The moral of the story is: When you reach a plateau, don't think that you can stay there forever - life is about growth and change. It's constantly evolving, and you have to change with it - otherwise you end up on the scrap heap. As well-known motivational speaker Les Brown says, "You either expand, or you become expendable." Use life as a vehicle to get you to happy times, not as a security blanket. Human beings were meant to expand and grow - not to stagnate. Am I being clear?

Changes...
I could air my views about how the middle class no longer exists, and how things are being "taken away" from us, but I think that you might have a clue as to how I feel. Let me just say this much - I don't view it the same way anymore. I mean, why excel to keep the position or status that you have - Why not put forth effort to expand further? Maybe then when harder times hit, we'll be much more prepared, or it need not be that much of a concern. There's no denying that we will have times that are very trying to us. However, if we keep moving in the right direction, then there might not be as much pain.

Idealism?
I know that this is all idealistic, but it might help to apply some of that principle to all aspects of our lives. If we have a family, lets take the time to learn and grow with each other, to communicate and show that we love one another. If we are career-oriented, let's put forth the effort to excel in our duties - to become star performers and MVPs. Let's move our way up through the chain - and out of it, if we need to. You get the idea.

Oh, Don't Be Such A Pollyanna!
I also know that things are not perfect, and that we do get burned from time to time, but if we look long enough, and hard enough, we will find something good to come of it. I guess that I read Pollyanna too much, or that motivational stuff is soaked in my brain. Regardless, I truly want to have that kind of attitude, and not be caught up in the "mood du jour," like many folks appear to be. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not seeing the billboards that say "IT'S DOWN TO BE DOWN!" or "THERE IS POSITIVE IN THE NEGATIVE!" Has anyone seen these? Here's one, "HOLD YOUR HEAD DOWN - THAT WAY YOU CAN SEE YOUR SHOES!" Yes, I know - cornball is they may seem, I believe that they do exist (on some plane.)

To be continued...

4 comments:

Radin said...

Oh Danny, you are back and this time with full energy. I enjoy your posts and follow. And thanks for your reply to my comments.

Tabor said...

I do so enjoy your posts. I feel you are coasting forward now. The world is short of idealists and visionaries, so don't belittle that approach!

Danny said...

Radin and Tabor:

Thank you for your support and understanding of my beliefs. It took a long, long time to get to this point. I had to learn to let go of years of hurt, anger, pain, and in some cases, deep hatred.

I will keep my ideals intact, and stick to them, no matter what the majority feels is "right to do" at the time. I know that I'm not the only one that feels this way - there are many others who are just too afraid to let it out. They are held back by prejudice, hate, and negative beliefs that were nurtured in an earlier time.

This includes peers who ridiculed them, parents who discouraged them, and teachers (or other authority figures) who humiliated them. They planted that "You can't do it" seed, and so begins the gradual and steady decline in the journey of underachievement. I have full respect for those who can break free of those limits and do what they choose to do!

Visionaries Unite!

Danny said...

By the way, I also find it rather funny that both of you posted exactly 3 hours apart from each other - Radin at 1:13pm and Tabor at 4:13pm!

And you know what? as far as I know, I began this comment at EXACTLY 11:13PM! How coincidental is that? And they say that 13 isn't a lucky number!