You Don’t Talk Like That

There are always pleasant surprises that crop up.

Like the fact that this blog is read in over 40 states in the US.  Not to mention about 10 other countries as well.

I thought I was boring.  Whodathunkit…

I tell you that to set you up for the next story.

This story starts with a conversation with a new subscriber to EricUpton.com.

This subscriber works with me.  He made the comment that “Dude, I read your blog for the first time.  You don’t talk like that at work.”.

Not, “Dude it was really awesome!” or “Dude, you changed my life!”.

That stung a bit.  Truthfully, quite a bit.  As they say, “The truth sometimes hurts”.

So, this lesson was more for me and my personal life, not the blogging life.

Being Who I Am

We all have hats that we have to wear.  We all have responsibilities that we have to maintain.

I think my challenge is that I feel like I have to be “different” people in each role.

I must be:

• The loving husband.
• The hard-charging, goal-oriented, OCD boss.
• The caring philanthropist (see www.irunthesestreets.com)
• The discerning dad.
• The jovial friend.

So, why is my life so compartmentalized?

I think it has a lot to do with fear in most cases.

I’ve let up and been “the softer, more supportive” manager at work.  The times I have done so, the team’s performance slipped.  So, just like the dog who saw the rolled-up newspaper for the 5th time, I went right back to the “behaving” way of doing things.

The other areas of my life are a little personal so I won’t go too deep.  I will tell you that I can do a hell of a lot better than I have.

I think it best that I follow the advice of the young man who commented on my short-comings.

All in all, I just need to be the best “me” I can and stop worrying so much about “public opinion”.

Then maybe I can help others do the same.

I’ll keep you posted.