Hello from my hotel room in Manhattan where I am plugging away on my mediabistro presentation. I am avoiding PowerPoint. This is no easy task for a Human Resources professional because I’ve been trained to use PowerPoint slides to keep me anchored and focused on the topic at hand.
Bad habits are hard to break, so I’m trying something new. I will just interact with the audience and talk — and I will chock up any mistakes to my own personal development. Hooray!
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Furthermore, I’m dropping the subject of the presentation, which is Will Work for Money (But Happiness Desired). Unless you’re a Tibetan monk, you work for money. If you need some happiness in your life, get a dog, do yoga, or take up knitting. Go to therapy. Stop buying stuff you can’t afford.
If you happen to find a job that affords you happiness, that’s great. Good for you. Savor it.
We’ve covered how I feel about all of this — and more.
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My plan is to introduce myself and share a few anecdotes and pieces of advice from contributors to this blog. Then I will answer questions from attendees. My challenge is to prepare for those questions, and I’m so thankful for your comments on my blog. All very helpful.
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The world needs fewer Powerpoint slides — and we need fewer HR professionals who spout nonsense about work/life balance.
I am doing my part to save the world.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
The difference between a job and a career is 20 hours a week, so you better love it. I’ve never liked the word “balance” as I am an unabashed insomniac workaholic. … Closest I get to a word that doesn’t piss people off and portray me as a self-centered, lunatic and worst of all, bad mom, is “blend”. Blend also seems particulariy appropriate for today’s workplace, workstyle and the younger generation …
Today it’s a fluid lifestyle that morphs easily from moment to moment. You’re never really off or on unless you’re a machine operator. The accessibility to you and your colleagues (and boss if you have one) means email popping up on your SMART phone at all hours, you reading it and answering back during Desperate Housewives. It is compensated but all those times your mother (kids, significant other, bill collector) calls at work to tell you non-emergency stuff. – A lifestyle. Life.
Hey – Knock ‘em dead with that Talk. I just had a discussion with my boss on Friday about how I often I find my creativity being constrained by the boundaries of the media form in which I am working. It is punk rock to take away the boundaries by not using the typical media presentation tool.
@Sue Marks You could NEVER be called a bad mom.
@Karla I’m ‘off’ when I watch TV.
@Michael We need to trade lives because I like the safety of PPT. I just blame my poor performance on the technology! Yeah, it’s Microsoft’s fault that this information isn’t more engaging.
Best Wishes, Laurie! I don’t know how you will manage without PP. I’m no HR person, but I too and dependent on it. It’s not all evil; it forces me to plan, otherwise I wold be tempted to wing it. I can be a charming guy, just not THAT charming =)
If you find an alternative to PP and similar software that keeps us from looking like ninnies, bottle that shizz and make your millions. Heck, I will even take a job as your bodyguard. I won’t take a bullet for you, but I will make you look REALLY important!
@George Thanks for the warm wishes! You can be my bodyguard but I’ll have to pay you in kittens.
Good luck! How did it go superstar?
I wouldn’t call myself a superstar, but I didn’t embarrass myself. How does that sound??