the system

A colleague e-mailed me about getting laid off from his job. He was a co-worker at my last work place who decided to take a big risk after just five months at our former company. He left to work for an independently wealthy investor on a Hawaii project. After a month, he is unemployed.

Now he is scrambling to find something else, including consulting for my old company. Rather than making a personal call or take his old boss to lunch, he wrote an e-mail and received a short but firm rejection.

By leaving after a short period, he definitely burned some bridges. The worst part was that he often looked down at the others. I firmly believe that people can detect elitism faster than they can smell fear. If you think you are better, people's guards will be up.

Sometimes it's a curse to be smart and achieve at a young age. It sets up for very high expectations that makes life that much more dissatisfying. I feel lucky because I have very little expectations for life. I still believe that most of my professional and personal accomplishment comes by the way of fate more than anything else. I try hard, but I know to expect nothing.

One lesson in all this - the most important quality to gain in life is humility.

networking

I have been receiving many invites to join many social networks by friends. Just don't want to set up yet another profile and spend time updating it or not update it due to the lack of time.

Professionally, I like where I am and don't see the need to network online.

Personally, b/t my blog, my social gatherings, my calls and e-mails, I keep in touch with all the people that I need to connect with.

It comes down to time. I know for many of my friends, these sites help them keep in touch, so there is value. For me, they may take up precious time that I want to spend doing something else...

yet another friend

Sometimes being intuitive is a curse.

After a second date, I knew that this latest guy and I can only be friends. Told him that tonight. I believe in being honest, and if I see a perfect mate for the other person that is not me, then I lose interest completely. I want this great guy to be completely free to meet the right person for him. It's too bad because there was a connection, and he is impressive.

Even though I want to have a relationship, I am not quite ready to give up my hectic life. When I can meet someone who can relate to or support my four-events-a-day schedule, then I'll be in a relationship.

Until then, there are single parties to plan, weights to lift, and work to do. Went into the office Sat and was productive. I also brought work home tonight. It's all right because I used to have community meetings that go on til 10pm!

Excited because I do believe in what I am doing and am grateful for the opportunity to learn!

show me what you've got

In reading M's blog about the different types of guys, I can't help compare the two that pique my interest of late.

Totally different types of guys. One is who I want to be - smooth, successful, and very focused. The other is who I can relate to - humble, loner and an unconventional life path.

In consulting with the energy lady Maria, I know that one of them will be the one I end up with in 2008. (Do I dare to think beyond next year?)

I have chosen to invest my time with them lately because in both instances, the chemistry is incredible. This has happened once this past year, and Maria cleared that guy out quickly because it wasn't meant to be.

In their own ways, these guys impress me without trying. For now, that is the one trait I look for. Let's see who steps up next. Well, I think I know who's going to be my NYE date...