I saw a meme posted on fb that had the quote that "mistakes are just proof that you are trying." This seems to be a trend in thinking that I see everywhere now. I have to say that I call BS on this whole line of thinking. Let's break this down. Trying is something that is good when we are looking at in terms of something you would never normally do....like say go hiking or lift heavy things. Yeah you get mega points for trying and you will probably make mistakes and learn better ways of doing those things.
However I am seeing this attitude applied to work ethic and that is just straight up BS. I was brought up the old school way...ie you do it right the first time or you don't do it at all. It is not better to try something and fuck it all up and then leave that for someone else to clean up. YOU make the mistake YOU fix it. So many younger people (yeah I said it and yeah I know how old that makes me sound) have this attitude that..oh well I tried but _________ (fill in the blank..I don't like it/it didn't work/I can't do it/I don't understand/etc) and then they just walk away. Like ok but that shit still needs to be done...do you want a cookie just because you tried??? So many people are not being taught the importance of hard work. I am not saying that I don't make mistakes...anyone that knows me knows that isn't true. What I am saying is that if I mess something up I fix it. I understand that this is probably the sentiment behind the meme (and who in the hell came up with the word meme? that is just freaking strange) but most often that is not how it is applied by people.
In truth I blame the parents of this generation for this attitude. They started this shit way back when they were kids. I know there are people (well if anyone is actually reading this) that just called me a whole bunch of ugly words but I don't care. You want to know why I say this? Well let me explain, when I was a kid if you wanted to be on a baseball team, football team, or whatever sport there was you had to try out. If you weren't any good you didn't make the team. End of story. You sulked or more than likely you then either found a sport you were better at or you worked your butt off to get better at that sport so the next time you could make the team. That was how it was. Not everyone made the team. These may seem like harsh lessons but that is how life is. I have never heard of some crazy killer that became that way because he didn't make the little league team. Now days? Every kid makes the team and not only that the coaches are required to play every kid. WTF?!? I am sorry but that does not teach kids the right lessons. Everyone shouldn't make the team and everyone shouldn't get a trophy. Sorry but that is the truth. When did we become such a pussified society? When did we start rewarding people for being mediocre? Probably about the same time we started holding graduation ceremonies for every freaking grade level. Oh yeah Johnny you made it out of the fifth grade, let's throw a party. Wrong. You know what this breeds? Young adults that sit at their jobs and think that because they showed up that day their boss should be happy. I have seen this attitude in action and I have heard many a tale about this attitude. So no I am not pulling this out of my ass.
So I am sorry but I don't reward people for "trying" unless they are "trying" by pushing their physical limits. When it comes to work, you should strive for more than just trying. You learn, you ask questions, you take notes, you take your time, and you do everything within your power to do it right. If you mess it up? You fix it, so that the next time you do it right. That is what I was taught.
I probably jumped the shark at some point during this blog, I had written this really brilliantly in my head but whatever. I tried right?
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