[402 Blog 2] Freestyle Writing

Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities

I have long since performed the act of focusing on specifics and avoiding the ambiguities. For a few years now I have specifically told people what it is I am going to accomplish and have not implemented any of them. Instead of focusing on the immediate situation, taking a turn for a broad blurred view of the future has helped me move forward at a better pace in order to eventually have things come into focus.




Many of us live think of living in a Cockaigne world day to day but many of us do not want to work hard to get there. You see somebody taking a lavish vacation or diving a fancy car and you think to yourself, “I want that some day.” Fact of the matter is not all of these people living the high life are as pleased with their lives as many of us may anticipate. Many of these people may be leasing their cars or barely paying their palatial mortgage, just getting by, but focused on presenting an image they find obligatory to their peers and their self built aristocracy.






I do not have a dream job by any means. I clock in, sit down, help people, make sure they get what they want, smile, fill up on some crappy Maxwell house coffee, check my email and then do it all over again for 7-9 hours, Mon-Fri….but I really can’t complain. It pays the bills and allows for some fun. Is this my walk of life? No. But for some people it is and I cannot frown upon them for doing what they have to do to live their lives. These are hard working honest people that have not necessarily chosen this existence but may have had no other choice….(That’s wrong because everybody has a choice!!!)






That is for another oblique strategy to come

Dealing with people who build homes and condos and retail space I have seen these hopes and dreams rise and fall and hurt many people’s view of the near future.

These people wanted specifics. Build a home (x 60), sell, buy more…and again. In the mix of it all they were building themselves 6,000sp. Ft homes, purchasing luxurious SUVs and sport cars. They were not looking into a possible downturn in the economy or building boom and put a lot on the line…Instant gratification would keep them in continual elation.






The same people are now coming in, working on someone’s add-on, or garage remodel looking for any work they can because 35% of their homes have been foreclosed on and they are having a tough time filling up their tanks and paying their $599/month lease on their new 5 series. The same people are also having a tough time paying off their bills at the print shop. They charge thousands of dollars in blueprints and now are forced to be on C.O.D. and have to pay cash or charge on a number of credit cards until I run one that has not been declined. The same people are now removing the specifics.

At any rate, living with a bit of uncertainty may be a frightful choice for some but is certainly not unwarranted. Live day by day. Layout some specifics over time but be sure to blur your future so when it comes into focus you can value what is presented upon you rather than simply taking it for granted.

[402 Blog 1] - Chapters 1, 20 & 22

Chapter 1 -

Being about what the rest of the book is going to teach us, Chapter One gives us a broad overview of what may seem new to others, but is common sense to anyone who has ever worked in the real world.

When you work for a company you develop an understanding of what is to be expected from the company itself and your superiors. Unlike your teacher, who is grading you, many memos, emails or any sort of communication is directed at multiple people and has to be very carefully structured and worded to clearly send your message in the right direction.

Once working for a company that uses as a single email to communicate messages over a bulletin, I learned that you have to choose your words very carefully. Fortunately for my humor alone, many people were uneducated and not thinking about what their words would do to colleagues when directing blame for problems or simply ranting off topic about their own habits which they want adopted by the majority. Having some sort of knowledge in addressing a mass audience, I would just sit back and enjoy the banter and repercussions of employee mishaps.

What many people, including myself, lack in the forms of development is persuasion. Listening to NPR last Friday, Prof. Robert B. Cialdini from Arizona State University was discussing forms of persuasion and basic every day methods that can earn us more and get us where we want. I can go on, but the link is worth listening to and I'd be more than happy to loan you the book after I read it.

Chapter 20 -

1. It is very important to keep whatever you are trying to get across simple and to the point.

or

2. Keep things simple and to the point.

Studying journalism for some time, you learn that readers just want the facts. They want them up high and they want the details quick. Everything a reader needs should be structured in a way for one to summarize with key words. Spacing properly with bold notes allows the reader to pick and choose, gathering the information they see fit.

I found the cultural awareness very interesting. Upon graduating I want to pursue my MBA and get into International Finance or Marketing. Mubadala is a company based out of Dubai that has its hands in a market that is unknown to many people. I am a Formula 1 fanatic so my goal would be to tap further into the market of this world class motorsport and get many of its current investors to invest further into Mubadala and make it a global example of how to develop. Learning customs in the UAE will be of utmost importance when it comes to professionalism and business matters.





Chapter 22 -

The idea of writing a proposal terrifies me. I know in the future it will be required of me in my line of work, but it still scares me. The fact that a company is depending on your paid time to spend hours to work on:

Introduction
Problem
Objectives
Solution
Method
Resources
Schedule
Management
Costs

The cliche saying of practice makes perfect may stand true in this case, but a lot of responsibility lies in your proposal. If there is one thing I want to take away from this class it is the confidence and ability to develop a proposal.

Overall great readings!!!

I think it would be an idea to consider to have your students do a mock proposal as one of the projects over the course of your semester.