Saturday, August 18, 2007

12 Step Program For Idiots

You know, part of my recovery (see the blog title, please) has to do with managing my impulses. My impulse, for instance, to use my Ninja Wordcraft Skills to hurt someone to the very core. Learned than from my dad, the great Master of If Looks Could Kill school of communication. Nowadays, I keep a lid on it, let the brain waves simmer, get a good night's sleep, take a dump and, lo and behold, I avoid adding another notch to my Idiot belt. I'm a proud boy.

Of course, there's the other side of it. The I'm An Idiot for Being Naive. That's getting better, too. I've come to realize that humans, like the beings from my planet, are formed deeply by their earliest experiences. When I hear a client trying to manipulate or bullsh*t me, I step back, think a little, imagine them as a five-year-old trying to get sweets from Mummy at the market and manage them that way. It actually works. Sometimes, though, I follow the impulse to react and answer directly and immediately. Once done, not easily undone. So, I'm learning, but it's a costly process.

Let's blame the parents: why not? My communication skills are those of my parents. Not so good. But I've learned new things, especially over the last year or so. As it's said, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!

That's it for now. I have to attend an event in honour of the Coastal Roach.