Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
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Below is the full article I promised from this blog post. It will appear on Red, Brown and Blue. Once it’s available, I’ll update this post with the link.
It truly saddens me to think I might be partly responsible for at least thirteen (13) people—people that I never knew—deciding to bring their lives to a premature end. However, the reality is that just might be the case. Maybe I did have something to do with it. No…I take that back. I most certainly had something to do with it. At Foxconn, a Chinese electronics factory that produces components for the likes of Dell, HP, and Apple, there have been thirteen reported cases of suicide since January. Why did these individuals decide that, in a choice between life and death, death seemed to be the better, more enticing alternative? Is this a case of contagious suicide? In certain situations, suicides have become a form of a social statement, bringing awareness about and opposing social injustices. In other cases, they have been the result of psychological or physiological disease. Some cultures view suicide as cowardly, while others see it as courageous. Whatever the case, thirteen people decided that ending their lives was a better alternative than continuing on the path they were taking (or perhaps, the only path they were given).
According to an article that appeared the New York Times, the harsh work environment, a sense of loneliness, and working 286 hours per month contributed heavily to a feeling of utter despair—all in order to earn the equivalent of $1 per hour. This means these factory workers are literally spending more than half of their days on the job, often with no breaks or lunches, while making next to nothing.
How I am responsible for the despair these 18 – 24 year old factory workers, their families, and others in similar situations feel? It’s easy to blame the huge multinational corporations that outsource their production to factories like this. After all, they do pay the salaries. They do make the harsh demands that must be met by the workers. They do seek out the cheapest quality labor they can find in order to ensure profitability. But alas, the constant consumer demand for faster, stronger, better, and CHEAPER products drives these companies to cut corners wherever they can. Investors are increasingly demanding quicker and larger returns on their investments. Although some are beginning to take a more holistic and socially conscious approach to their investing, many are still in it for the biggest and fastest gains possible by any means necessary. The pressures created by their constituents, while not the only factors (exorbitant executive salaries, lavish retreats, etc., are among others), are contributing to the distress being placed on these factory workers.
Two expenses that significantly increase costs are the manufacture and customer service associated with products and services. Ironically, these are often two things that consumers complain about the most. We joke about how everything is “made in China.” We complain about how we “always get somebody with an accent I can’t understand” when we call customer service. If, however, we want quality in those two areas we have to be willing to pay for them. We cannot expect Americans to answer the phone when we aren’t willing to pay American wages. This is partially the result of a domino effect, however, as in order to pay for this quality, however, we need to earn wages that allow us to do so. In order to make the wages that allow us to do so, we must have the skills required to do the work. The problems are numerous, but not insurmountable. We have to understand what role we play in the global landscape so can develop steps to make positive changes.
Sometimes I walk into a store like Target and walk by the $1 section, pick up an item and think:
That’s crazy. We were able to mine the raw materials, refine those materials, ship them to China, pay the salaries of everybody from the executive team to the designers to the factory workers, label it, package it, ship it BACK to the States, and pay the courier, the inventory people, and the salaries of everybody in the store…all for under $1 per unit – for a pen.
Just under $1 is the maximum we’re willing to spend on that pen – the same amount the Chinese factory worker may have made in that hour I spent walking around the store. Is it worth it?
So, I’ve been away from my blog for a few days. Seeing as how I try to post something everyday, that might seem a little strange. The truth is my temporary hiatus was intentional. I was going through a series of unfortunate events that forced me to take a step back and reevaluate where I was headed both personally and professionally. I found that my writing was beginning to suffer and I didn’t want any of the negativity and uncertainty I was feeling to spill over into my blog. Out of respect for you and for myself, I wanted to hold off until I felt I was ready to provide quality content. I spent the past few days in introspection and I’ve evaluated the things I’ve needed to evaluate and made the difficult decisions I’ve needed to make. On Monday, I received a thank you card in the mail. In it, they wrote that my “passion and desire to do good things for the world is contagious.” That card couldn’t have come at a better time, and helped me with some of the things with which I’ve been struggling. With that said, I’m back and ready to continue moving forward. Below are some of my personal resolutions:
I will to stay in San Antonio…for now
Due to a number of circumstances, I was seriously considering leaving San Antonio and moving to D.C., Austin, Detroit, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, or London. Although one of these destinations is a very real possibility sometime in the future, I feel as though I have unfinished business here in San Antonio. I feel an obligation to leave a place better than I found it, and I have much work to do here before I can feel truly confident that I have given at least as much as I have taken from this city. I will continue to be the best colleague and bring the most value I can to those with whom I work. However, besides work, I have a passion for literacy and want to help build stronger literacy and literature programs for people of all ages and backgrounds. Literacy has the beautiful effect of leading people to make better decisions and providing a feeling of self-confidence and self-esteem.
I will become more involved in cultural education
I feel that cultural education is extremely important in a society as diverse as this. Better understanding various backgrounds, histories, arts, etc. leads to the celebration and exploration of differences rather than the condemnation and dismissal of them. Unfortunately, many people are either unaware of cultural education opportunities or simply don’t have access to them. Recently, I’ve gone to a few productions hosted by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center of San Antonio and have seen the tremendous value this hidden gem provides within the community.
I will become more active in my volunteer activities
Volunteering has provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Recently, I haven’t made the time to be as active as I would like. That will change immediately. This past weekend I helped out for about six hours with Munny Maker, a fundraising event hosted by, and for the benefit of, the San Antonio chapter of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts). I’ll talk more about that tomorrow, but it was amazing and I had a really good time. Some events I have coming up are the Great Strides 5K run/walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Chalk It Up!, hosted by Art Place San Antonio, and Oh Snap! in Austin, which will help raise money for students abroad who want to study at UT Austin. I’ll keep you informed on these and other opportunities. If you want to get involved with anything I talk about, let me know and I’ll try to put you in contact with the right people. Also, if there are events you need help executing, feel free to let me know.
I will make time to relax
I tend to work so hard and so long that I often forget to do things like sleep, eat, look at stars, sleep, workout, catch a movie, sleep…well, you get the picture. My day normally starts at around 5:00 a.m. and ends at about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. the following day. I love being busy, but I need to make sure I don’t let life pass me by. Mom, I hope you’re reading this. The need to relax applies doubly to you!
I will stop neglecting emotions with some of the decisions I make
I tend to be of the Plato philosophy that true, rational thought, devoid of emotional influence, leads to better decisions. I’ve found this is not true, and can actually be the wrong decision in many situations. Thank you to everybody who told me I don’t need to be completely objective about everything. It’s finally starting to sink in. I would name all of you, but this post is already long enough.
I will make this blog more valuable to you
I’ve always had the reader in mind whenever I write any of the posts that appear on this blog. However, I want to make sure I’m brining the greatest amount of value that I can to you. Therefore, moving forward, I want to add value by providing more posts on which you can act. Expect to see more spotlights on socially conscious businesses and entrepreneurs. Expect to see more advice on leadership, marketing, and personal/professional development as guest posts from other people with different perspectives. Eventually, I will introduce a calendar of events with information on how to get involved. If there is anything you want to see more or less of, please let me know. If you agree or disagree with something you see here, leave a comment. Call me. Text me. Your voice is always welcome here. My hope is that through open dialogue we can learn from each other and leave places better than we find them.
As an avid reader, when I come across something interesting I like to share those experiences here. Typically, I’m so focused on business, sociology, and marketing books I often don’t take the time to enjoy some of the fiction and fine literature that’s out there. I recently read Good Bless You Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut and enjoyed it. What other recommendations do you have for me? I don’t care from what genre they come. What’s your favorite fiction book and why?