“Outsmart Them”
“You have to out smart them!”
Grandma & Dad
If I allow someone to knock me off of my pivot, I have officially lost. Nobody else but myself knows the plans that I have set for myself. Therefore, I would be a fool to give an external figure the power to crumble my plans. I don't quite know exactly what it means to “out smart” the people trying to get to me but I think a hint came from when my dad asked me “are you being your authentic self?” After I said yes he said “then it’ll all work itself out. No matter what the outcome may be.” That gave me the idea that as long as I am being myself everything will be okay and that whatever the outcome may be is the one that's meant to be.
A coworker of mine told me that she almost flipped out and quit because a manger (one that i've also had a few problem with) was being disrespectful toward her and then proceeded to talk about her behind her back in a language that she does not speak. Now, all of the managers at my job except maybe one or two don't know how to speak nor treat their employees. It's like they talk to us as if they are our parents and that they are some hierarchy. Like we are just sitting at the bottom depending on them. But that's beside the point. She went on to tell me that she could have her sons up here ready to put an issue on this particular manager. Although I do get her anger, after thinking about it for a while I looked at it deeper and related it to what my dad and grandma were saying. Let's say this job is keeping her bills paid or she is using this job to fund something greater outside of her 9-5. She could potentially jeopardize her current situation or even worse mess up her future situation. Her sons could come up there and “wrongfully” (in the eyes of the law) violate the manager. The manager could press charges (which costs money) and to go even further both her and her sons could end up in jail. So now she would be jobless, in debt, and serve some time all because she was knocked off her pivot. I get how hard it could be to stay in a situation that you don't feel respected in and pride could add fuel to that already lit fire. But, if you have a goal or plan you have to remain true to it as well as to yourself and if the outcome of that ends up being that you have to leave the job then that's that. If being yourself and staying true keeps you there because the outside factors aren't that damaging then that's what it will be.
Now I get why my dad said what he said. By being yourself your problems or situations will always work themselves out. The “outsmarting them” part comes from staying true because they are expecting you to crumble or fold. So by doing the opposite you leave them confused; scratching their head. “How are they still moving forward?” The simple answer would be “I'm just doing me” but since you’re outsmarting them they would never be able to guess.
