So I’m working this new job. I’m two months in and no one really knows me here. I’ve invited some of my co-workers out for drinks but it’s like pulling teeth. I don’t want to be that guy who is so desperate for work-friends that I become incessant and annoying, constantly trying to break into the cool crowd. I’m in a new city and have to admit that I know very many people here so maybe that is the person I’ve become. It’s funny how things change.
Take this for example: growing up, I used to be a sickly little guy. I had a horrible diet as an infant and toddler which I think contributed to my weak immune system but I also simply had a small threshold for pain. If something scared me or was too painful, I’d faint. Just before I my seventh grade year I decided that it was time for me to take control of my life. I put together a strict diet chalked full of fruits, vegetables and proteins. On top of that, I began exercising intensely. Yes, in seventh grade I did all this. My favorite place was the library and I always read titles a bit above my head so I guess I picked up some miracle stories along the way.
I was already on the track team but wasn’t nothing you could call an athlete. I also began meditating and taking acting classes so that could gain control of my nerves, loose my fear of strangers and work on my stutter. The outcome: I became the best in the state in my main track event and a nationally ranked athlete, I became more or less fearless, all the while improving my overall health and quality of life. It sounds so simple and easy but it took me a lot of hours upon hours or training and hard work. Plus, my parents were my toughest coaches and biggest cheerleaders.
Had you known me as a child you would not have recognized me in high school. I was pretty much an over achiever with mediocre grades. I was seen as a jock since I became a captain of my track team as a sophomore, I was leader, having been named president of five major clubs, and I was a recognizable face having been an anchor and director for our school’s media program.
On the flip side, I had reverted to being relatively shy (by my standards) during my first couple years of college. I broke out of my shell during my senior year. My friends constantly pushed me to run for president of the student council or homecoming king. I didn’t have any interest in school politics or contrived ego boosts but they branded it as the ultimate trophy, stating that I would be sure to win “since no one knows more people on campus” than I did.
I didn’t see myself as the big man on campus. I wasn’t in a frat. I didn’t date the hottest girl and I didn’t have a car. At least in my mind these things mattered. But now, I am definitely not the big man on campus. I have been out of school for about 15 months and am already on my second job.
No one knows me here. I’m just the “new guy” or the “new-black-guy” or the “new-tall-guy” or the “new guy who-always-goes-to-the-gym-during-lunch”. Look, let’s get one thing straight, I’m NOT complaining. I’m just saying it’s funny how things change.
2012 is going to be “The Year of Doing” in my book and I sure as hell look forward to all of the changes that will be coming my way.
