Monday, May 16, 2011

Being Boring

I liked the '80's and especially eighties music.
With music television being a new vehicle, many of the videos from the time were crap while others bordered on being art.
One image that stuck in my mind was a quote from the Bruce Webber directed video of The Pet Shop Boys' Being Boring.
The actual Zelda Fitzgerald quote reads, "She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring.".

Many people hate their jobs, a few tolerate them while still fewer get paid to do what they would do for free.
Many people allow themselves to be defined by these jobs while others only use these jobs as a means to an end.
Most people work for a pay check while others choose to excel in whatever they happen to be doing at any given time.
Most people know how to do their job but little else, and these people bore the ish out of me.
The trick to enjoying ones life to to fill ones free time with productive things one enjoys doing.
Sometimes these interests become new business or social opportunities.

What one does as a job is not what defines him, while what one does in his down time may.
Some people fill their off time with drinking, gambling, chasing women (or men), playing video games or watching television.
And this is fine..., if that's all you want out of life.
Other more interesting people have hobbies, volunteer and/or continue to learn.
These people may spend their time perfecting a skill or knowledge.
These people have something to talk about other than what someone else is doing.
These people have a circle of 'friends' beyond those they view on television each night.

Cool people have stories.
Cool people don't just watch life, cool people live life.
Most cool and interesting people can tell stories of hardship, of suffering, and of overcoming these situations.
Many may scarred emotionally and/or physically but none use this as an excuse for failure.
In fact, most of these people can tell more stories of failure than of success.
These people can tell stories of those hardships with a knowing laugh because they understand that they became stronger or better or smarter from these experiences.
A loss or failure is viewed as a stepping stone, as a minor inconvenience.
These people are tough, because tough people have lived through tough situations.

Interesting people will try almost anything.
Sure, the may suck for a while but they continue to work at it until they become at least proficient in these endeavors.
Interesting people can laugh at themselves when they make mistakes because they are good enough in enough other things to know that they don't have to be good at everything.
Interesting people can slide from one group to the next with ease because they have a broad enough spectrum of interests to be able to identify with almost anyone.
I can get along with almost anyone but I like people who can do and talk about more than just one thing.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Then ya gotta like me ;)))

DF said...

If everyone started doing that we wouldn't have a audience UBJ. Who would follow our blogs?

It's always great to meet people who think and experience life. Often the conversations are more colorful and a searching for the truth emerges.

But these people are hard to find so thank GOD for the blogs as it seems that this is the best outlet for thinking people surrounded by idiots.

Brohammas said...

DF, so are we the thinking people or the idiots? Notice I said we... its like I snuck up and hand cuffed us together so you couldn't leave me tied to the railroad tracks.

So what yer saying is we need to have a UBJ roundtable in Monaco or something?

Stay thirsty my friends.

amanda said...

Darn it after reading this post I am going to have to get off my butt and start being productive with more frequency than at present.

DF said...

@brohammas - Intelligence is subjective so at any time you can be seen as the idiot or the genius.

A roundtable would be a good start but make it some place tropical or in the middle of Manhattan to keep it neutral.

Brohammas said...

Yo if we do it in Manhattan I could actually go.

ginanastassia said...

i can't believe it took me this many years to find this blog...amazing to "get in your head, UBJ" !