How to Be Happy with Your Job

I've been at my current job for 10 years. That's very rare in this day and age, especially amongst my generation (X) and after. I've never met anybody whose job was truly their passion. I've never met anybody who was truly happy with their job to stay longer than a few years.

With some exceptions, everybody I've known has always moved around from job to job. I was like this too in my 20's. I once quit a job on the very first day. At one point, I was working 3 part-time jobs at the same time. There wasn't a full-time job out there that I liked, so I created a composite with 3 part-time jobs I did like.

Of course those of us who have jobs should be happy these days. Nevertheless, some of you may feel distraught being trapped in a job you don't like. Here's some tips on how to maintain career longevity:


1) Underpromise, overdeliver- Don't promise the world and fail to deliver. If you do that repeatedly, then everybody knows you're full of sh!t. It's much better to provide your boss or your customers reasonable expectations as to what will happen. Then do a damn good job. This way you'll exceed expectations and look like a miracle worker.


2) Good work gets you more work- If you do good work, then you'll get more work because everybody knows you get stuff done and done right. This is either good or bad, depending on your work environment. If you run a business, then doing good work gets you more business. More business means more money.

If you work in the public sector, then good work gets you more work, but you still earn the same pay as the lazy bum watching YouTube the next cubicle over. This doesn't mean you should do bad work (since that gets you fired), but learn to say no to work that somebody else is supposed to be doing.


3) Shear sheep, don't skin them- If you manage and supervise people, then keep this saying in mind when you hand out work. You might have a star player on your team, and you'll think of him as the go-to guy or think of her as the go-to gal for everything. Be careful, however, because if you overwork your star player, but don't compensate him with higher pay or extra perks, then he's going to have a mental breakdown and leave for another position with a company or department that will properly compensate him.


4) Be a specialist, not the go-to guy - If you don't want to promote, because promoting to a higher position means longer hours and more responsibility, then be a specialist in something that your company needs. Police departments, for example, have lots of specialty assignments, such as detectives, defense tactics instructors, K9's, etc.

The key is to be invaluable. If you have no specialty, then you're a generalist, and you can be placed anywhere to work on anything. You will be the go-to guy for everything and everyone. But if you choose a specialty, then you choose how to contribute your time and efforts to the department.

Read More

If You Had to Donate $2,000 Every Month...

Let me tell you, I'm not a big charity guy. I'm also the most apolitical person you'll run into. I don't watch the news at all. I get my news from Angry Asian Man, but even then, I skip over most of his stuff. Which probably explains why I'm such a happy-go-lucky person.

It's not that I don't care about social issues, but I'm selective as to which issues to be active about and how to be active about them. Otherwise I'd spread myself thin worrying about everything. Asian American issues mean a lot to me, but I focus on self-improvement as the way to enrich our communities. Money runs out, time is limited, but idea viruses spread like, well... viruses!

But if you're blessed with a lot of disposable income to donate $2,000 to a cause every month, then consider donating to the following:

1) The Asian Law Caucus- These guys do a lot of great work for the Asian American community, but unfortunately, they're located in a really sh!tty part of town. Just outside the Tenderloin area of San Francisco, the ALC is in an area with a lot of bums, crazy people and drug addicts. The front of their building, the inside of their lobby and the elevator smells like urine, because there used to be a psychiatric clinic in the building. If any organization needs more money, then the ALC is it, because they need to move out to a better office.






2) The 80-20 Initiative- "80-20 is a national, nonpartisan, Political Action Committee dedicated to winning equal opportunity and justice for all Asian Americans through a SWING bloc vote, ideally directing 80% of our community's votes and money to the presidential candidate endorsed by the 80-20, who better represents the interests of all APAs. Hence, the name '80-20' was created."


3) Produce an Asian American indie film- Let's face it: there ain't too many Asian faces on American TV and in the theatres. And when we do see Asian faces, they don't get much air time, and they don't get choice roles. They're supporting characters in the stories of white people. I have people that I admire and follow of all different ethnicities, but it's nice to follow one who looks like you. It's nice to follow their story, because it parallels your story as an Asian American.

If you've got the time and the money, and you want to see more Asian Americans telling entertaining stories, then why not produce an indie film? Seriously, making a short film and showing it to viewers is so much easier and cheaper than ever before. You can shoot your film on a camera and audio equipment bought from Best Buy, edit your film on Movie Maker and then upload it to YouTube. It's so easy and cheap, that you really have no excuse.

The keys problems most people run into are:

a) Stupid ass stories- Finding an entertaining story with good dialog and a tight plot that's devoid of cliches is hard to find and harder to come up with.

b) Flaky ass people- If you have a volunteer crew and actors, then they better be on the same page as you. Otherwise you'll have a lot of flakes. Better to get professionals and pay them.

c) Horrible actors- Some people sound the same no matter what emotion they're trying to convey, so cast appropriately.

d) Marketing- Some people produce great films, but their films never see the light of day. You have to know how to generate buzz about your film, because what's the point of telling a great story if no one is there is listen?


4) Sponsor an Asian American mentorship program- Visualizasian.com had a good interview with Yul Kwon. During the interview, Yul touched upon an interesting concept: mentorships for Asian Americans to break the glass ceiling. People who've risen to the top ranks have had mentors. They've had people to guide them and to help them in their career path. Many Asian American career organizations have this sort of thing. Asian professionals, lawyers, peace officers and journalists all have associations that they can turn to when they need to rely on a social network.

But whereas a social network is a supportive group, a mentor provides that extra individualized guidance. You can always seek guidance on your own from many different mentors of any ethnicity. But a formal Asian American mentorship program, that is not limited to career, is something that the Asian American communities need.

Read More

6 Lessons from Star Trek TNG

I'm a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was by far the best series of the franchise, although Deep Space Nine had some excellent seasons and episodes as well. You know you're a Trekker when you refer to classic episodes for guidance in life. Here are some notable lessons from some classic episodes:

1) Ensigns of Command- In this episode, Data must convince human colonists to evacuate their world, because the Federation has ceded it to the Sheliak. Meanwhile, Picard has to negotiate with the Sheliak for more time to evacuate the colonists, otherwise the Sheliak will "eradicate the human infestation."

This episode was a classic lesson on how to negotiate, hardball. Picard tries to appeal to the Sheliaks' compassion, but discovers that the Sheliak have none. Picard eventually resorts to looking at the treaty between the 2 races:

"Let's look at that treaty. They've been beating us over the head with it. Let's see if there's something in there we can use to our advantage."

Sure enough, Picard finds a clause within the treaty that postpones Sheliak colonization for a few months and buys the colonists some more time for the move. It's a lesson in labor relations.

Bottom line: Whenever something is in dispute at work, always look at the union contract.

2) Relics- Scotty from the original series is brought back after being suspended in a transporter for 75 years. Scotty meets Geordi and gives him some sage advice:

Geordi: "I told the Captain I would have this diagnostic done in an hour."

Scotty: "And how long will it really take you?"

Geordi: "An hour."

Scotty: "Oh, you didn't tell him how long it would really take, did you?"

Geordi: "Of course I did."

Scotty: "Oh, laddie, you have a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker."

Bottom line: Underpromise, overdeliver.

3) Tapestry- Here's the Star Trek version of "It's A Wonderful Life." In this episode, Picard dies from an energy blast to his artifical heart and meets Q in the afterlife. Q asks him how he got the artifical heart, and Picard relates that he was stabbed in the heart when he got into a fight with some Nausicaans during his time at the academy. Picard expresses regret over having been a womanizing hellion in his younger days.

Q gives him a chance to relive that time and change the course of his life. Picard doesn't fight the Nausicaans, and he doesn't get stabbed through the heart. Q brings Picard back to the present, where he is alive and well but no longer a captain. He's a lowly Lieutenant, junior grade, conducting mundane experiments in the astrophysics department with an unremarkable career.

Picard protests to Q, "I can't live out my days as that person! That man is bereft of passion... and imagination! That is not who I am! [...] I would rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw."

And Q responds:

"The Jean-Luc Picard you wanted to be, the one who did not fight the Nausicaan, had quite a different career from the one you remember. That Picard never had a brush with death. Never came face to face with his own mortality. Never realized how fragile life is or how important each moment must be.

"So his life never came into focus. He drifted through much of his career, with no plan or agenda, going from one assignment to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves. He never led the away-team on Milika III to save the ambassador, or take charge of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed. And no one ever offered him a command. He learned to play it safe – and he never, ever, got noticed by anyone."

Bottom line: Things happen in your life for a reason and make you who you are.

"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of... there were loose threads... untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads... it had unraveled the tapestry of my life."

- Captain Jean-Luc Picard

4) Measure of a Man- In this episode, Data's status as a life form is called into question. A Starfleet scientist wants to dismantle Data and analyze how he was constructed so that he can make more androids. Data refuses to undergo the scientist's examinations and a judicial hearing is established to determine Data's status: is he a sentient being or is he just a walking toaster and hence property of Starfleet? Dialog between Guinan and Picard puts things in perspective and raises the question:

How do we treat others who service us?

Guinan: "Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do, because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable? You don't have to think about their welfare; you don't think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people."

Picard: "You're talking about slavery."

Guinan: "I think that's a little harsh."

Picard: "I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth. But that's a truth that we have obscured behind a... comfortable, easy euphemism. 'Property.' But that's not the issue at all, is it?"


5) All Good Things... - The final episode of TNG has to be one of the best series finales of any TV show. Series finales are usually sappy, awkard and overly sentimental. This episode served not as goodbye (since movies were on the way) but as a tribute to the characters of TNG and to the series itself.

In the final episode, Picard is shifting back and forth among 3 different time periods: the past, present and future. Picard is aware of an anomaly that threatens the existence of the Universe, and in each time period, Picard leads the crew to find this anomaly.

We find out, however, that the very act of looking for this anomaly creates it.

Bottom line: Seek, and ye shall find. So be careful what it is you seek.




6) The Best of Both Worlds- The Borg serves as a blatant metaphor for racial and cultural assimilation. Seriously. You've got pasty white guys dressed alike saying you'll be assimilated. If that ain't a blatant metaphor, then I don't know what is:

"Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours."


Bottom line: Rage against the machine.

Read More

Art and Commerce by Mojo Rider

Here are some more ruminations on the nature of art. I'm sure there will be others who disagree with my viewpoints but I'm throwing this out there for discussion.

In our last discussion, we talked about defining art and what role the artist has. My last post was my groundwork and a frame of reference for this one in regards to using an art form as entertainment as opposed to creating a tangible piece of work designed to stir the human soul. Moreover, I wanted to pick up on the train of thought Alpha Asian raised about staying true to one’s work and not worrying so much about popularity or acceptance.

All art forms don’t have to achieve a high level of art. It’s great when it does, but these art forms don’t necessarily have to have that purpose. As previously stated, the art forms can be used merely for entertainment and that is fine. Life would be boring if we didn't have some form of entertainment. But even within that purpose of entertainment, you can still attain the level of art and show a mastery of the form.

But it raises some questions: just because something is popular, does it mean it’s necessarily good? And because something has commercial success, does it mean it's a sell out? A Tom Clancy novel might sell a lot of books, but is it considered better than, let’s say, the short stories of Raymond Carver? If an indie band gets signed by a major record label, are they considered sellouts by their fan base if their latest CD release goes platinum and has mainstream success? How is the artist supposed to earn a living? At some point, the artist has to sell the work or the performance. And there’s the conflict between an artist’s work, the ability to survive, and commercialization. Furthermore, with your indulgence, let me refer to the previous posting about being effective versus being popular. Explicit in that post is a “to thine own self be true” ethos, to maintain one’s integrity and credibility. I’ll use music as an example, since I know more about it than other areas like film and books.

Like Hollywood, record label executives who have a hit artist on their hands, want more of it because they're making money because they are a business entity. They want more of the same, attempting to catch lightning in a bottle over and over again. (Ever notice how many remakes Hollywood likes to churn out? The music industry is no different.) As soon as an artist has a hit single, the record label automatically says, “We want another hit.” This pressure from the label can happen while the band/artist is still on tour to promote their hit single! If the label doesn’t have a Kurt Cobain or Nirvana, they will try and hunt down the next one. That is why there were so many bands who had that grunge sound, but didn’t have much else, got signed. But where are they now? Where was the longevity? All style and flash but no substance. Fads and flavor of the month come and go, but really good work endures beyond the latest rage. The cream rises to the top.

Sometimes you get a band or artist whose popularity is waning buts wants to remain commercially viable and in the limelight and they will change what they do to meet what is supposedly the market demand or because the record label wants to market them in a different way. Some change from who they are for financial reward, others simply just to remain entertainers, celebrities in the limelight. Vanilla Ice comes to mind. Was that a true expression of himself? Or was it just because it was financially expedient and a gateway to being a celebrity? What does that say about the kind of projects they’re producing? To me, it’s an appeal to the broadest common denominator rather than letting the work speak for itself. Hit singles should be by accident and not by design. Once you get into design, you’re guilty of manipulating an audience for financial gain. And your motivation is about money, not your work and your artistic expression.

Some of my favorite artists are one’s who’ve had their moments of fame and rewards and some haven't. Some have reaped financial rewards, some have had lean times where they didn't know where the next paycheck was going to come from , some flirted with becoming more commercial to get the financial reward and realized it wasn’t worth being a clown or puppet of the record label. In the end, they decided to stay true to themselves. They might not be so visible anymore or be a household name but they are still worth following and still produce relevant work even if it doesn’t get any promotion or radio play (college radio always seems to be the exception!). One of my favorite artists is Paul Westerberg, former front man, singer/songwriter for the now defunct Minneapolis band The Replacements. I saw him once back in 1993 when he became a solo artist after the Replacements disbanded. He had just been the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, with Charlton Heston as the host. And then a few days later I saw him playing in dumpy basketball gymnasium on the University of Maryland campus to his loyal followers. Talk about going from the highs to the lows. I love his interviews because he always has something interesting to say about his art, the business, and the nature of fame. Here are some quotes:

“You don’t go to L.A. to be an artist, you go there to be a star…”

Q: Does it ever bother you that bands who have appropriated the Replacement's sound are selling truckload's of records when you never have?

A: I think a lot of people who sell a lot of records would kill to have what I have. They don't necessarily have the guy who waits three years for you to come through town on tour just so they can get your autograph. They get a more fleeting, hollow kind of fan worship than I do. What I got is real. It's small, but it's real.

STARPOLISH: What future challenges do you feel you're facing? In a perfect world, would people hear the name "Paul Westerberg" and rush out and buy 10 million albums?

WESTERBERG: I'd rather have respect from my peers and those in the know than be a household name. I never wanted celebrity.... I wanted to make my mark and I have. I want to continue to write good songs and put on good shows. I'm just sticking to the basics....

STARPOLISH: What would advice would you give to someone who has their own rock 'n roll dream?

WESTERBERG: If you believe in your heart that you've got it, then go for it and let nothing stop you. But if you're going from your brain, then maybe you're better off being a manager. I wouldn't pay a dime to see you.

"I had to compromise myself so much that I reached a point where I was no longer enjoying anything. I wasn’t selling any records, I wasn’t hip anymore, and yet I was still compromising myself. I finally figured that I might as well just do exactly what I want to do. If nobody buys it, it’s irrelevant, because at least then I’ve done something that I wanted to do. I mean, working with producers like Don Was, I realized that in the end none of that matters because succeeding in music is just dumb luck. It ends up being a matter of whether they like you or not, or whether your song accidentally gets played at the right time or not. All I know is that right now I feel like I’ve got the most control I’ve ever had in my life over the thing that I do. And whether I’m truly happy or not, I’ve convinced myself that I am."

On doing the film score for Sony's animated film Open Season: “You take Hollywood’s money, you eat Hollywood’s shit.”

"I try to write for the highest common denominator. I don't write for dumb people. I figure if everybody doesn't get it, that's OK. Someone bright enough will get it, and that's who I write for. It's probably not the way to make million-sellers. What can I say? I won't apologize for trying to write for smart people."

“Let’s face it; if I were filthy rich, I wouldn’t be talking to you (giving an interview).”

So what's my point here with this post? I think it's a good reminder for Asian American artists to stick to their artistic visions even if the financial rewards aren't there. Don't dumb down your work to be accepted by Hollywood, the music industry, the book world, etc. You have important things to say and to contribute to society. I'm not saying this is easy to do in that we all have to pay the bills and eat, but the late singer songwriter Warren Zevon once said about his own fall from commercial success is that there was never a promise or guarantee that being an artist would bring financial rewards anyway. He cited all the great black blues musicians who were imitated by the white rock and rollers and never received the financial rewards reaped by bands like Elvis, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, etc.

Think about what it is you want to do. Do you want to be an artist or a star? A performing artist or an entertainer, celebrity? If you want to be an an entertainer, fine. But if you want to be an artist, do not stray from who you are and what your soul needs to express. As Westerberg said in another interview:

"Any musician who can stop (creating) may be a musician, but they're no artist. If it's in your blood, it can't stop flowing. Whether anyone wants to hear it or it makes you money, whether you gotta get a job to support yourself, whatever. I don't think there's anything that will make me stop doing it."

Read More

The Alpha Asian is One Year Old

I didn't even realize this until today, but the Alpha Asian blog is one year old. Wow! Who knew that I'd be keeping this thing going for this long? When I set out to write this blog, I didn't have any delusions of grandeur. I didn't think I would make money off of this blog or even gain much of a readership. But what I did want was to create a blog that aggregated positive energy, energy that inspires Asian Americans to follow their bliss. I think in a way I've made my mark, because other bloggers are starting to do the same thing.

One year and I posted about 215 entries with the help of talented Asian Americans on the web. That's a lot of stuff that can get buried over time, so I decided to categorize the more popular posts into select categories:

Alpha Asians- If you want to be inspired by real life Alpha Asians who are doing their own thing and kicking ass, then check out some of these videos and interviews.

Asian Americans- History, activism and community.

Comedy- Want to aggregate positive energy by laughing your ass off? Then this category of posts is for you.

Dating- You won't find me bitching about AF/WM pairings in this category, but you'll find some stuff on attraction psychology.

Diet- Asians love to eat, but at least we eat healthy.

Exercise- Strength and bodybuilding for the Asian lifter.

Japanese videos- The Japanese are incredibly perverted, insane and funny as hell!

Movies- Check out these Asian American short films.

Music and Dance- Rock on, Alpha Asians!

Podcast- Podcast interviews with yours truly.

Psychology- A collection of my writings on how to live the Alpha Asian lifestyle.


Anyway, browse through the categories on the righthand side when you get a chance.

Read More

Art and the Expression of the Human Soul

Alpha Asian was nice enough to invite me to be a guest contributor to his blog. After mulling it over, I thought, what the heck? Alpha had some interesting posts on writing and on the integrity of one’s work. I thought I’d delve deeper into the topic and share some of my own thoughts on creativity and art.

So, how would you define art? What makes one project art and the other just a project? There are various definitions, but for our sake, let’s keep our focus to the readily accessible things the average person would say is art: visual arts, literature, music. A conventional definition is that art is a reflection of society. Artistic works are supposed to tell us something about our lives, to enhance it with beauty, to make us think. It is an expression of human creativity and imagination, its purpose to bring us into harmony or balance with the world around us.

Or, you could take a more cynical approach and define it the way Andy Warhol did when he said, “Art is anything you can get away with.” It’s an amusing statement from Warhol and perhaps somehow very prescient. Maybe Warhol foresaw the strange alliance between art and commerce. Silk screening a Campbell’s soup can or a picture of Marilyn Monroe? A banana? This is “pop art”? He certainly benefited from being part of this avant-garde faction that others elevated and made fashionable.


Writer and social critic Tom Wolfe wrote a fascinating book called “The Painted Word”, a critical take on the art world and the intellectual masturbatory fawning by art critics over abstract art. And I thought it raised a series of interesting questions: is art subjective? Do the rules count? Tom Wolfe seemed to have a disdain for abstract art and the works of Cy Twombley and Jackson Pollack. Are they artists or frauds? Is it all about intellectualizing an idea rather than the tangible work itself? What difference is there between a paint-splattered canvas by an abstract artist and a canvas all splattered upon by some 6 year old kids having fun with paint? Why is one considered art but not the other? But that’s another topic for another day.

So here’s my take on art: I fall on the side of having mastered techniques, the basics of an art form, and exhibiting the mastery in some tangible form. In its highest form and purpose, I think art is a reflection of society. It does tell us something about our lives. With the reader’s indulgence, let me lay the groundwork for backing up my statement. Noted journalist Bill Moyers produced a fascinating PBS series, interviews with Joseph Campbell, a professor of comparative mythology, called The Power of Myth. Campbell’s belief was that mythology was important because it told us how to live our lives. Mythology has its roots in our collective connsciousness; its symbols, its archetypes, are rooted not just in our society’s cultural fabric but in many disparate cultures in this world. In other words, there was a common thread in that each culture’s stories were essentially the same, from Native Americans to tribes in Africa to Asia to Europe. In some of these ancient cultures, Campbell noted, it was the shaman who was the seer, the mystic for the people. The shaman was the one imbued with powers to go out to places that the people could not go and he came back with stories and insights to tell the tribe about the harvest, the coming days. He was the visionary, the healer. Moyers asked, well, who are our modern day shamans then? Campbell replied, they are our poets, writers, artists.


Let me use music as an example, since I know more about this subject than other art forms. Have you ever heard a song that you identified with? Is there a favorite song, band, or recording artist of yours that make you feel something like, “Man, this band knows about my heart ache! They know about the hassles I’ve had with my girlfriend”? When that happens, I think the artist/songwriter/band is holding a mirror up to you and is merely showing you yourself. The songwriter attains an artistic level when he/she is able to articulate all the feelings you’ve had but couldn’t express yourself. And when you are presented with the work, there is the shock of self recognition. Or there is something in the song that strikes a universal chord, a certain feeling or mood we all experience. As soon as you hear the lyrics you know exactly what the songwriter is talking about. At its highest levels, I think, that is what art can and should do (at least in the pop-rock music form). It should move the soul. The biggest themes are universal ones: love, death, life. I think a good artist, if he or she is doing their job, is someone who is able to encapsulate a universal truth or feeling about the human condition and lets us experience it. Music is especially powerful in evoking emotions in that it’s a powerful combination of words and music. Good artists are able to evoke that response because they’ve mastered their craft.

Read More

Kate is Enough: The Kate Gosselin Story

Read More

South Korean Kids Get a Taste of Boot Camp

So here's an interesting article I picked up from IIStix.com:

South Korean kids get a taste of boot camp

You should read the full article, but here are some excerpts:

"The Blue Dragon Marine Corps Training Camp is the brainchild of Park Kyung-hoon, a rock-hard 52-year-old former drill sergeant who sees the younger generation as a sorry lot: physically fragile, undisciplined and weak-minded, hunched over their computers playing video games, talking trash to their overworked parents.

"But the moms and dads aren't blameless. They grew up during the lean years after the Korean War, and many overcompensate with their children, giving them everything they didn't have.

"Finally, after years of such pampering, some parents realize that their young need more discipline to become better students and more conscientious adults...

"Unlike similar camps in the United States, where such tough treatment is usually reserved for youths with drug problems or those in trouble with the law, South Korea's kiddie boot camps are a rod not spared from the average child...

"Some spend as little as three days here. But there's also a 14-day regimen, for nearly $1,000, that attracts the hard-luck cases: wallflowers and schoolyard bullies, kids addicted to the Internet and those who know no boundaries with parents or anyone else.

"The cadets, 70% of them boys, show up on a bus, many duped by their parents into thinking that they're heading for a beach break...

"Some children buckle under the physical pressure. That's when Park goes from drill sergeant to camp counselor.

"I explain to them that there are going to be a lot tougher times in life," he says. I say, 'Enjoy your childhood, but use it as an opportunity to build character. Embrace the pain.' "

"He's talking about the much-dreaded gas mask drill: Cadets sit inside a room filled with red-pepper mist and remove their masks long enough to sing the South Korean national anthem. One kid was so traumatized that he threatened to call the police.

"It was terrible," says Kim Mi-jin, 17. "I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. My face was scratchy. All I could do was cry."

"But after thinking about it, Kim says she's glad she did it. 'I think I'm learning to be more confident. I realize life isn't all about me.'

"Park has seen transformations in other kids.

"'They get bolder. Even their voices change,' he says. 'On the first day, I might hear 10 voices out of group of 200. By the last, I can hear every last one of them. It's a thundering chorus.'"


Wow, let me tell you, that is one hardcore bootcamp for kids that would never fly here in the States. I've gone through the gas chamber drill where you take off your gas mask and inhale tear gas. To say that you can't breathe is an understatement. You're violently coughing, because it's your body's natural reaction to get rid of the tear gas from your throat and lungs. But it doesn't help, because each time you're coughing, you're reinhaling that crap. Your eyes swell shut, and tears stream down your face. Snot is coming out of your nose like spaghetti.

Anyway, I don't think it's just kids who are soft and spoiled. Most adults that I've run across here in the States lack discipline, initiative and emotional resiliency. The thing is that there will always be generational differences. You can't fault a generation for not having life experiences if they're just coming on to the scene. Some people have never been drafted into war, dealt with racism and adversity, played sports, been in customer service, created a business, lived on their own, got into a physical altercation, etc. They've never had to take care of others. Hell, some of them don't even know how to take care of themselves.

What we can fault these little brats for is when they have a poor attitude and feel entitled to everything. As a Gen X'er, my advice to the younger folk is to maintain a good attitude, work hard but smart, treat other people with respect, constantly grow and develop as a person, and understand that you will have to prove yourself out in the real world. You are not entitled to anything. You have to earn everything.

Realize that although you may not have the life experiences yet, you will grow and develop into whatever role you choose.

Read More