Hi Everyone,
Years ago CNBC had a business show called, “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch”.When I first discovered it I watched a few minutes before I called my daughter to watch it with me. Because it was after 10 pm, she was taken slightly aback. “It’s a business show,” I said. After that we watched it every night it was on, even if she told me she had homework. “Homework? You are going to learn FAR more about life and business watching this than you ever will doing homework! Don’t worry about it. Now get over here and watch this.” She did. And yes, I was a “different” kind of parent.
My daughter and I loved watching, “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” We would sit in awe and only discuss aspects of the program at commercials or after the show. There was always something to learn from him and his guests. Things that one never learns in high school or any school. The reason for this is because Donny Deutsch is a very bright and thereby highly successful business man. He, as I understand it, hand picked his guests. They were also highly successful business people, bright people. This blog is not about bright people. This is what I mean.
Last Saturday I wasn’t feeling well at all. The last time I felt that sick was about two years ago when someone told me my “cold” sounded like the flu. When my daughter called to tell me her schedule changed, instead of just exchanging mail, she came over for a visit.
After a few words she told me I was behaving like I was 90. “Really?” Yes she said. Once I told her I hadn’t had a cigarette and it was after noon, she knew I was in bad shape. Off to the store she went seconds later. She called me a few times and arrived shortly later with “stuff”. She is good that way. I know. I am lucky. 🙂 She has always been mature beyond her years. If she gets any bright ideas, they are few and far between. Unfortunately I can’t say that about a lot of people.
The bright idea I have been eluding to, is what I call, “a thing,” that people let get in their heads. It starts off as some little thought that after more thought and usually after some or a lot of discussion with like-minded people, (sic) grows into an action. The reason the once small thought grows and becomes an action is because a lot of people cannot see past their eye lids and want to be right. In their minds, they have to complicate the simple because all levels of logic have left them. That is of course if those people ever possessed any level of logic to begin with.
If that sounded, “mean,” than so be it. There are times in life when people have to call things as they see them. This is one of those times. A fact is a fact.
What was really dumb was when someone decided to let their bright idea get the best them by taking swift action. I discovered the result of their bright idea late Saturday afternoon after my daughter left, the day I felt the sickest. Not cool at all!
Before I continue, I would like to say that in my experience over 90% of bright ideas come from females. Bright ideas don’t cross a lot of men’s minds. When they do, men let logic take over. The only explanation I can come up with is that males cannot be bothered with, in my opinion, the stupid little games that females insist on playing. Now that does not mean that weak, insecure men cannot be swayed. Men are human. They just generally don’t waste their time with bright ideas or the people that have them unless they are little boys in a man’s body and sex is involved. Then those types of men will put up with pretty much anything as long as their someone keeps putting out. True men can’t be bothered. Some females can’t either. I am one of them.
I have WASTED a lot time speaking to the person with the bright idea. Discussing anything with her is EXHAUSTING!!! It’s one endless discussion after another. It took me 2-3 conversations to talk her out of a few bright ideas EACH already. And two conversations with her friend because most females with bright ideas travel in pairs. When it came to this last one I gave up. If those little girls, who are legally adults, can’t understand normal talk, now, they never will.
I remember thinking, “Wow! If I don’t let the chips fall as they may, this will go on forever. You don’t get it. And I can’t take anymore.” My feelings about her latest bright idea were also to prevent the other bright ideas I heard her mention to her other friends from coming to fruition. Some females, like her, never lack bright ideas. I did make one suggestion though before I let it go by literally walking away. Now if I can avoid her I do and I have. It’s that simple.
What complicates the simple is when someone can’t see that by forcing something to happen they are disturbing the rhythm of life. That, and the fact that one bright idea manifests itself into others.
Last Saturday I could barely handle my day. Forget about the bright idea, that if measured like an earthquake was a 7.5 on the Richter scale. It was one of the biggest bright ideas yet! I was sick with something and pissed off that I had to deal with her and her actions.
Since she wasn’t there I asked her helpful (female) friend to explain a few things. Right after that I did some explaining. That was dumb. People who want to right are never wrong. Live and learn. The first bright idea lead into another and other people got bright ideas too.
I am blogging about this because this past Thursday I had a bright idea that I was going to follow through with on Friday. Oh yea, I am human too. Now my bright idea, was like dropping a pebble on the sidewalk. The Richter scale wouldn’t have budged. It was that minor yet I’ll be the first one to admit, it was still a bright idea.
Had I of not been listening to an audio book, which at the time of my getting ready to leave, was discussing the Ego, I might have followed through with my bright idea. But I was and I didn’t. I am grateful. Not only would I have wasted a several precious hours of my day and not accomplished what I truly needed to get done had I decided to feed my Ego, the people I wanted to “impress” would not have been impressed at all.
So is that what all bright ideas boil down to? Do people decide to act on their small and large bright ideas because they need to feed their Ego? Do people need to be right even when they are wrong? Do people need to prove a point even when their actions are filled with wrong-headedness? Is it more important to force something on others by disturbing life’s rhythm because people can’t wait a few days, or longer? Do people feed their Ego when they feel insecure, unsure of themselves? I know that when I started feeling insecure on Thursday, I almost acted on my bright idea on Friday. But I didn’t.
This is what I realized on Friday. Had I of gone ahead and fed my Ego by acting on my bright idea not only would I have lost the respect of others, I wouldn’t have finished what really needed to get done. Feeding my Ego would have been a waste of time! That would have bothered me. Instead of having time to blog and write I would still be catching up on my to-do list. That would have made me miserable. I love to write. Sure sometimes writing takes longer than I thought. But so what? It makes me really happy.
A lot of things make me happy. Clearly being an unwilling participant to someone’s bright idea is not one of them. I don’t care how big or small bright ideas are or the people who decide to have and act on them. They aren’t people I want in my life. The saying of, “Birds of a feather flock together, eagles fly alone,” is true.
The next time you or someone you know gets a bright idea think about it. If the bright idea is coming from someone else I would question their motives before walking away. If the bright idea is coming from you, check yourself! Ask a sane friend what they think of what you are planning to do. If you don’t have a sane friend, or you question their sanity more than you question your own, ask if what you are about to do something Jerry Springer would want to know about for an upcoming show? If you answered yes, than don’t do it! If you got a bright idea think before you act. You will show some grace, while you save face, and keep with life’s pace. People like that.
People who are working towards their goals and are building their lives don’t have time for bright ideas.They are working on big ideas. They don’t care about stupid little games. That also means that if they don’t rid you of their life completely they eventually will. People aren’t stupid. People are kind, patient but people are people. We all have our breaking point.
If someone gives you some advice listen to them even if you don’t like them. They may not like you either but they may make sense.
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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