I had what I like to call my ‘DMV starter pack.’ One problem with moving as often as us nomadic souls is that you are a regular attendee at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I love living in cities and I love traveling. The problem with that mix is that I don’t do it very effectively. People with ‘regular’ jobs would live in one place and take their vacation to the places that they want to travel to. Me? Not so much.
I’ll live in one place for a year, decide it’s time to live in another place for a year, and then decide it’s time to quit my ‘regular’ job and travel around the country by car for three months. Yeah, I do that. I try on places to live like my friends drink wine. Entirely too often. Both of which are fine activities by the way! In moderation of course.
Back to the starter pack. Through the magic of learning curves I have realized the importance of being prepared while waiting for G49 to be called by the robotic, yet pleasant, voice over the loudspeaker. While others grumble and whine next to me, and sigh as if they had no idea what to expect, I sit patiently. For hours.
Oh so patiently with my DMV survival kit: water, snacks, laptop & power cord, 2 books, and a phone charger. Maybe I have to go to the Maryland DMV and sit for hours, then be told that I have to go to the Washington, DC DMV to clear something up so I sit for more hours, and then go back to the Maryland one once again…where I sit for hours. Over the course of a few days. Good thing I don’t have a ‘regular’ job.
Why do I hate my boss? My boss is like the DMV. There are all these mysterious rules – you need additional identification proving who you are, special paperwork which must be completed oh-so-perfectly, and a calculus equation which determines how much you owe them in fees. You can try to do your research online and prepare everything in advance, to anticipate the DMV’s needs and requests, but you will be wrong. I can study my boss, ask for feedback, question everything, and inquire of others’ opinions – but in the end I will be wrong. My boss will change her mind.
Like the time I was asked to prepare an extensive spreadsheet. I love organizing and working in Excel, with its beautiful formatting techniques and formula options. I added a forecasting column complete with calculations, and total columns, and date columns, and rows of information. All well thought-out and perfectly formatted for ease of use and drop-downs. I spent weeks researching and laboring over this spreadsheet; then she told me she didn’t need it anymore. She never even used it once! But she’s the boss. So I took a deep breathe and archived my organizational artwork.
So I’ve learned the art of being productive and bringing the starter pack around with me like a pack mule. Always prepared and always patient. Always watching for the subtle clues. While I am waiting for my boss’ mind to change, and it will, I will be productive. I really wish my boss wasn’t so indecisive and ever changing of the mind.
Who is my boss? Me.
