What's Wrong

The other day, one of Ray's employees was having a real bad day. He was scheduled to be in for work at 7:30 AM. At 8:00 he texted in that he was having a headache and would be there at 9:00. 9:30 came around before he finally showed up. When he came out into the shop he was on one of his typical rants from waking up in a bad mood. I want you to see if what I describe sounds like anything you may have heard of or experienced in the past.

He complained of the following:

• His body and lower back hurt
• Headache
• Needs a different job
• Broke and doesn't make enough money to live on
• Everyone else have what they want while he and his family does without
• Wife finished her degree and hasn't gotten the high paying job she should have automatically gotten with her degree
• Wonders why they ever had kids – Can't afford to do anything
• Wife is always bitching at him and the kids
• Kids are always brats
• Owner of company goes on $10,000 vacation and he can't understand why he hasn't gotten a raise
• Hasn't gotten anything he was promised when he hired on
• Boss always owes him something
• Hates his job, hates his life
• ECT, ECT,ECT
• Yada, yada, yada

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Well as the story goes he said all of these things in just under 10 minutes of ranting. With an elevated voice he was not worried but who might have heard him speaking. Ray was busy trying to repair a piece of equipment they needed on the jobsite in about an hour from then. So Ray just let him vent it out of his system. That was until he started to say how much he hated everything and everybody and for someone to just put a F ing bullet in his head. Ray knew this was not true but that the employee was just in a very bad mood. So Ray countered with a “That's not true, because I know for a fact that you do not hate me. You always look forward to me kicking you when you are down.” Ray then began to berate the guy with all types of insults that showed him just how ridiculous he was behaving and got him laughing at the situation.

I can understand the pain the young man was feeling and the problems he was going through. I feel it all the time. Just try being 14” tall and pink. Have you ever tried to type on a computer with hooves instead of fingers? It's not very easy. Ever been told you can't go into a restaurant because you are not the same as everyone else. (They keep saying its because I smell, which is not true) I know the pain, been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. You just feel deflated almost like your life is over. You feel like there is no way out.

I have something to say to the people who feel this way. Stop wasting my time, I don't care how you feel. WOW, Sounds cold doesn't it? Look, here's the deal. The only person who can change your situation is you. Only you have that power. Blaming someone else for your own troubles makes you lose and they win. I learned at a young piglet age that “One must accept responsibility for ones own action. The only person who allows these thing to happen to you is you. That's right, you are the master of your own destiny. When you allow these types of problems to build up without resolution you create your own quagmire.

Am I claiming to be perfect – oh hell no, I'm so far from perfect I know that I never could be. But I do have a piece of advice for those of you who don't know what to do. Want to make your life better? Then try this: turn off the cell phone. That's right turn that piece of shit off. You don't need it as much as you think you do. Don't live your life by their rules, you don't have to be in constant communication with the whole world. One of the biggest problems getting work done out on the jobsites is people talking on personal cell phone instead of working. The only things being discussed is problems not associated with work.

Next thing to fix is turn off the facebook or at least cut back on the amount your are on there. Stop worrying about who is saying what about what they are doing. Next, turn off the TV. That bullshit they keep pedaling with all of the stupid shows just sucks any and all intelligence right out of your head. There is nothing real about reality shows or much else on TV. BTW the same goes for your kids. Get them off of there and get them outside to play.

Next: SLOW DOWN. Life is not lived in the fast lane, don't be in such a rush to go nowhere. Take time to appreciate what you have and not what you want. Don't try to keep up with the Jones family, it only gets you deeper in debit. And if you are in debit, then you need to work on getting out of debit. Debit causes more stress in your life thus creating a vicious cycle of trouble that you don't need. You say you can't get by without using credit, well guess what your living beyond your means and you will never achieve what you truly need in this life.

I know that by now I may have a few of you out there rather upset with me. That's OK since I am a pig and don't really care if the truth hurts you. Stop wasting my time on the job when I am trying to make a living with all of your bullshit about your problems. You created them yourself and I don't have time to listen to them all day long.

I love you all, call me so we can go have a beer together.

Ride Hard or Stay Home

Pig.