Do as I say, not as I do

August 27th, 2008 Posted in Day to Day

I’m a firm believer in the idea that individuals can control their day to day lives. There are always circumstances (environmental, social, personal) that can swing things any which way, but I like to think (probably a little idealistically) that major shifts in lifestyle can eventually be traced back to the individual.

For example, I just got a message from a good friend announcing that she got a new job as “Wine Maker” at Andrew Peller. This is huge, but the thing that really made me smile was that she credited me for planting the idea in her head.

Some background: She was working a job that she didn’t enjoy and where she wasn’t treated very well. I’m pretty sure I simply asked her why she was working there if she didn’t like it so much. I was probably a little more preachy about it, but that would have been the general idea behind my argument.

I think one of the reasons I get worked up about things like this is because of the society we live in — we have everything we need and more.  When people get “stuck” in dead-end jobs/situations and complain about it I get really frustrated.  We have more opportunity here in Canada than most countries. It’s sometimes simply just a matter of taking that first step towards your dream job/life goal/whatever. It will almost definitely take some sacrifice, but coming out the other end you’ll be glad you took the risk.

Which brings me back to the “not as I do” part.  I’ve been in a bit of a rut since moving to Hamilton. I haven’t really put my finger on the source, but I’m almost positive it has to do with my lack of social life and abundance of sitting around on my in front of my computer.

I think it’s time for some ch-ch-ch-changes.