Broad Strokes

Having a university degree is extremely valuable. Not only does it give you skills, knowledge, and ability it also gives you access to other educated people. When you basically live amongst educated people you can forget that not everyone lives the same life.

My recent job change to has re-opened my eyes to the value of education.

This is not a criticism of the people I work with or the customers I serve. It is a comment on how we can forget that not everyone lives the same life, which is a good thing.

Educated people are generally not drawn to sell cars. The pay is not guaranteed, the hours can be long, especially in the beginning, and it can be frustrating. However, those who sell cars for a long time get very good at it. Admittedly, there are some traits that most people successful in car sales possess. They like to talk. They are not shy. They like to hunt and chase. They have thick skin.

For all the good qualities they have, they don't generally have a lot of education. Car salesmen do not sit around and discuss the impact of population density on public transport and retail economic activity.

That conversation would have happened at lunch in the old job, not in the new one. There have already been several comments on the 'big words' that I often use. I don't think my language is too complex but I have to consider the audience. It isn't normal for them to hear so it is unique to them. This is ok, and sometimes refreshing. I do admit that I like to be accurate and efficient when I communicate. A larger vocabulary will help with that. If you can say more with fewer words, you can get more done.

An expanded vocabulary come from education. The same education also provides insight and context in many situations The more you know about how the world interacts with itself, the more you can predict how things will happen and control the situation. If you understand what it takes to get something done, you can adapt the situation to have things set up so it seems to move naturally.

I am currently in learning mode, trying to figure out a new work environment, in a new industry, with a new organization. Once I know how things really work, I should be able to use my education and previous experience to perform at a very high level. it will take time, it will take hard work, but most of all it will take the ability to see the world through educated eyes.

There are a a lot of great people in this world. Some went to university, some learned through experience, and some a combination of the two. I hope to be the one of the guys with the combination of experience and education, because that's when you can really make a difference.

The New Job

As I had mentioned earlier, I have ended my full time employment within the Cadet Program. For me, it's time to get back to the parts of the program where the good is actually happening. However, I am not independently wealthy so I need a way to make money to buy food and shelter. So, I have started a sales position with Southbank Dodge in Ottawa.

I'm really new to selling cars and I haven't been working in a for profit organization for over a decade, so far, it's going ok.

I'm not going to sugar coat this is any way. Selling cars is pretty much what it seems. I really can't comment too much on it yet, I haven't learned enough to do that. What I can tell you is this is not for everyone. It is a performance based job, it is all about dealing with people, and not everyone is going to do well at it. For me it's way too early to determine if I have what it takes. I understand sales and I know how to communicate, that still doesn't mean I'm going to be successful. What I've figured out so far is like most things you will get out of it what you put into it. If you put in the effort and don't make too many mistakes, you should be ok. There must be a living to be made selling cars or people wouldn't do it for years.

After doing some training most of my first day on Friday I somehow managed to sell 3 cars on Saturday. There was a lot of help from the sales managers but I think they see I'm serious and will take the time with me now. At least I hope that's the case. However, I've only sold 3 cars so I haven't proven anything yet. I need to drive my own customer traffic, I need to do a good job of finding the right vehicle for each customer, but most of all I need to learn a lot.

This is a big change from what I've been doing for the last 11 1/2 years. I'm not even sure if there is a procedures manual for this job, never mind the myriad of rules that go with military life.

I don't know if this is for me but I know it's different and that should keep me going until I do know. If nothing else, at least I wasn't scared to make a change.

30 House Parties in 30 Days

I was at The Laff on Saturday for The Lucky Ron Show, those who know me are not surprised by this at all. Lucky announced they are firing up the '30 House Parties in 30 Days' which hasn't been done since 1999. I thought since I had no work commitments on Wednesday it would be perfect to get in on this, so I booked it.

It was so much fun.

I rounded up some friends, picked up some beer and Lucky Ron showed up and played in my living room. It was The Lucky Ron Show, he told the same jokes, sang the same songs, we yelled "Number Four!" after the third song, and threw cigarettes into his guitar during Tilsonburg. 

I wouldn't do it every night but it is something unique to do once a decade, if for no other reason that you can. There wasn't too much foot stomping, my downstairs neighbour didn't complain but there was a lot of singing along, clapping, laughing, and a good old time. There were two people who had never seen the show before and somehow it still worked out to 86% new people.

As I move on in life and get older the one thing that seems to keep happening is I find unique adventures, having the Rocky Horror Pictures Show of One Man Country acts play in your living room qualifies as unique. 

If you are in the Ottawa area I suggest if you have never seen The Lucky Ron Show head down to The Laff and check it out. If you are a fan of Lucky Ron I suggest you get ahold of him and have him play one of these thirty house parties at your place, it's one of the few things you know will be fun every time even if it is the same show every week, nothing new or different.

Really??

I Had one of those moments that I just can't seem to forget. It was a week ago Saturday. That part isn't important other than to illustrate how much this actually bothers me.

It had been a busy day and I was finally done everything I wanted to get done that day. I was going to catch Lucky Ron, as I do many Saturdays. I needed some cash, luckily I was going to walk right past a branch from my bank, so I could just pop in and grab some money, and then carry on. As I approached the bank I caught up to two guys in their twenties. They too were headed into the same bank. I admit I walk faster than most people, partly because I walk so much, on this rainy day, I was going faster than them. This didn't bother me. What got my blood boiling was they were too lazy to manually open the door. They instead chose to press the button for the automatic door, as if they had some sort of mobility issue and waited as the door slowly opened.

I know it only delayed me by about ten seconds but really?

I was so annoyed I actually spoke up and said, "Really, really, are you that lazy?"

I wasn't so bothered that they wasted ten seconds of my life, I was bothered that it has become acceptable for people to take the easy way out of a simple routine task that should be so tasking that you are looking for an easy way out.

I understand why you want automatic doors. For various reasons people have mobility challenges and not having to deal with the door makes a building much more accessible. I don't think it was ever really intended for able bodied men to use because they are too lazy to open a door.

At least I hope it was just because they were too lazy because if opening a door is too demanding, we have a whole different issue on our hands.

It shouldn't bother me that others don't want to be better but it does. It reflects poorly on society. It isn't limited to twenty-somethings. I see a lot of people of all ages that are not taking control of their well-being. They are allowing themselves to live in a state that prevents them from enjoying life as much as they should. As a result, they feel it is too much effort to open a door.

In North America too many people are not living healthy. Children do not have good examples of healthy and active living. They have almost no chance to do better because for many it appears unreachable or too much work. Active people know the opposite is true and if you you get a lot more out than you put in. However, if your parents to live well, and their friends don't live well then what chance does a child have and they feel the need to use the button to open a door instead of doing a task that should be effortless to most.

Organized Run

I have several friends who have entered running events. At various times I have asked why they would pay money to go and run if you have no real chance of winning. It made sense to pay to play hockey or baseball but running never really made sense.

I was convinced to enter the 5K of the Canada Army Run. Last week-end was the race and I now have a better understanding of it.

I think the first benefit of entering a run is it gives you a goal to train for. It gets you going and helps you gauge your progress. There's a reason for lacing up your shoes and heading out in the heat or the rain and running until you can produce a puddle of your own sweat. 

Race day is exciting. There are people everywhere. There are people warming up. There are people stretching. As people load into their respective corrals, the biomass grows. The gun goes off and you are running. Now the race day factor cuts in and you can do more than usual. As far as I know, until last Sunday, I had never run continuously for five kilometres. Now I can say I have. I ran the whole length in a time of 30'31". I'm pleased with that time. I figured if I ran the whole length, I would be between 30 and 31 minutes. The people cheering you on is also up-lifting. I didn't realize it would help as much as it did.

I am probably not going to run a 5K every month like some people do but I will do it from time to time and I will continue to run as part of my exercise regime. I have to say this is an example of you don't know what it's like until you try it. My life is better because I did.

Change is Coming

What have I done this time? I often write about how I see the world unfolding. This time it's all about me.

In 1989 when my family moved back to Russell, Manitoba I joined 677 Russell, Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. After six years as a cadet and doing most of the most amazing activities the program has to offer, it was time to stop being a cadet. I really wanted to give back to the program and keep flying so I enrolled in the CIC. After about 6 years I ended up working full time as a CIC officer. A couple of promotions later and a posting to Ottawa, this amazing ride is going to take another change. I'm going back to part time service.

There are a lot of reasons I decided to change how I earn a living but the biggest is it's time.

I have been involved in the Air Cadet Program for 24 years. I'm not sure how much longer I could sit at a desk and do headquarters type work without starting to become jaded so I'm not going to let it happen. I can now get back to why I decided to stay involved in the program after being a cadet and that is to give back to youth in Canada. It's a chance to be one of the guys and not be worried about they myriad of issues that come with any full time job. It's a chance to help people develop and show them the best way to use the system. It's a chance to be able to express my opinion without it being confused with policy. It's a chance to show people how to use the structure to affect change. It's a chance to explain why things work and prepare them to be adults that make an impact.

I do not regret taking a full time job or coming to Ottawa. In fact, I may very well live here the rest of my life. I have unique experience and can use that to make things better at the grassroots level. I can be excited to go flying again. 

It's going to be different but it's also going to be amazing. I'm excited about how much I can do and the opportunities that may come.

The Running Adventure Continues

My foray into the world of running has not been the smoothest transition. It's not an abject failure but I'm sure many others have had an easier transition. I have not quit, in fact I have gone for 3 runs this week. They are not long runs but they are making a difference.

I did do something to my knee a bit over a month ago which left me limping for a few days and unable to run for sixteen days. Once I thought my knee was good to go, I got back at it. Needless to say the knee wasn't quite ready and that kept me to a walking pace for another twelve days. The second time I restarted this journey I put a brace on the suspect knee and things have been good ever since.

This new activity is in addition to all my current activity. I'm still walking to work everyday. I'm still in the gym three times a week and I still do everything I was doing before. My body has kindly informed me that I have added to my fitness regime and not substituted one activity for another. My endurance is slowly improving and my legs are screaming at me to give them a break. Now that I have found a pace I can just keep going as long as I want, it is simply mind over matter.

I originally took on running because I was convinced by a friend to run the 5km in the Army Run but I have since started to see it as a long term activity. There are a few upsides to running. You can basically run anywhere. It's great exercise and makes all your other exercises easier in the long run as your heart and lungs can get more oxygen to your hard working muscles. It can be scenic. Like all exercise, it helps control stress and makes sleeping much more rewarding. People are generally impressed by the fact that you are going for a run.

It's been nearly ten years since I started to exercise regularly and as I look back I'm happy with my choice to live an active life. It has made so much in my life better. The one take-away I have from this all is, it isn't important what you do, its important that you are doing something regularly.