Years back, following a transition inside a large company where many people got fired and moved around, the decision was made to give the remaining people more work. Now, let me pause here, when I say, "more work" did not mean more of the existing work they already did. "More work" did not mean work of what they already knew, or signed up for when they were hired. More work meant incorporating a completely different role. For me, I'm a programmer. And "management" decided they wanted programmers to also do BA work. Now, mind you, nowhere on my employment contract does it state I'd have to take a BA role. And nowhere on my employment contract did it state taking a BA role would also require me doing all of my programming work. So, after being pushed a few times to attend BA meetings, I got fed up. So I pulled my manager into a meeting and explained this to him. I said, you have two choices: I do two roles, BA and programmer, and I get a new salary to account for the role. When he asked how much, I said, take my salary and multiply by 1.6. Option 2, I go back to programming, and you never pull me into a meeting again on BA work. It's not what you hired me for, and it's not what you pay me for. When my boss replied, "Our company is not in the position to pay for two roles", I told him, then it sounds like Option 2. And by the way, I don't ever want to have this discussion again. If you want Superman performance, you cannot pay Clark Kent wages. 1 year passed and I was never bothered again about BA roles. Takeaways: Middle managers are one step above one-celled organisms. They can, and will try to get you to do non-role work, with no intention of ever paying you more. They key is to cut it off at the pass. When was the transition where many of John's colleagues got fired and moved around? - In a dream he had - not enough information - 1981 - Years back
Years back

One summer when I was 8 years old my father, mother, and I were rear ended by a 16 year old boy in a pickup truck. Insurance companies dawdled and by the time we received a settlement over a year later my parents had divorced. I was under full custody of my father living in a trailer in very rural Tennessee (Wayne County) with no electricity and a wood burning stove for heat. My mother was nowhere to be found until a few years later. We received the settlement and it turned out to be several thousand dollars. My dad turned on the electricity and bought our first computer, a Packard Bell. Now we needed dial up internet! -My what a change! Then he started dating online. He met a woman who lived in Franklin, TN (Williamson County), dated and married her (at least for a few years), worked at CompUSA for a few years, then started his own computer repair business which he and I ran from 2001 to 2014 before selling it. Williamson County population : 226,257 Wayne County population : 16,583 I ran a business with my father, graduated from a high school that was ranked 24/273 instead of one ranked of 223/273 in the state. The woman I married would not be the same, nor where I live and the lifestyle I now live, the jobs I have been able to get, the places I have been able to go, traveling around the US and to Canada and soon further abroad. The amazing things that I have experienced in my life are a pretty direct effect of some 16 year old kid not paying attention and rear ending my family. Of course certain decisions were made and things happened that took things down this particular path, but it all leads back to that night. Good night, and drive safely! At the end, how does the girl feel about these episodes? - Neutral as the events have gone by - Unhappy that certain things could have turned out differently - Feels that the turns in her life began on that specific summer day - not enough information
Feels that the turns in her life began on that specific summer day

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, retired Marine General John Kelly, is one of the U.S. military's longest-serving commanders and the most senior officer since 9/11 to lose a child in combat. Blunt-spoken and popular with military personnel, Kelly, 66, was born and raised in Boston. He initially enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1970, and was discharged from active duty as a sergeant in 1972. He returned to the Marine Corps after graduation from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1976. Kelly rose through the ranks to serve as the commanding general of the Multi-National Force West in Iraq from February 2008 to February 2009, and as the commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North in October 2009. He succeeded General Douglas Fraser as commander of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) on Nov. 19, 2012. As the head of USSOUTHCOM, Kelly was in charge of the military jail at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and also was exposed to immigration, drug trafficking and other cross-border problems over a sprawling area that encompasses 32 countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Kelly took a tough tone on border security, warning Congress last year about the risks of smuggling rings in Mexico and Central America that spirited "tens of thousands of people," including unaccompanied children, "to our nation's doorstep." He also clashed with the Obama administration over plans to close Guantanamo and the Pentagon's order that opened all jobs in combat units to women, including the most elite forces like the Navy SEALs. In 2010, Kelly became the highest ranking U.S. military officer to lose a child in combat operations in Southwest Asia. His youngest son, 1st Lieutenant Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Nov. 9, 2010. The younger Kelly was a Marine and was on his third combat tour, but on his first combat tour as a Marine Corps infantry officer. Since his son's death, Kelly has talked in stark terms about the... What did Kelly likely think about the closure of GITMO? - he could keep the country safe with it - not enough information - he could do more torture with it open - he could lock up the Middle Easterners with it
not enough information

Imagine the person you would most like to be, the version of you that is living the life you always imagined. This person has somehow found the solution to all the challenges you face right now. You don't know how, but you can tell that she has her shit together at long last. She is not perfect because she is still growing and learning but she is what you ache to be. Can you see a picture of this wonderful evolved future you? PHYSICAL What does she look like? What clothes is she wearing? What colour and style is her hair? How does she stand and walk? How does she speak? How often does she smile? Make the physical image colourful and bright and see the beauty, love and light in her eyes. EMOTIONAL How does the wonderful evolved future you connect with your partner and children? How is she at work? What does she do after a bad day? What are her sources of rest and renewal? MENTAL How does the wonderful evolved future you think about her life? Is she filled with positive optimism for the future? Is she grateful for the past struggles that have made her strong? Does she think kind and loving thoughts towards herself? Does she take great care of herself? BEHAVIOUR How does the wonderful evolved future you behave around food? Does she eat fresh, healthy food in appropriate amounts? Does she move her body in ways that fill her with energy and vitality? Does she indulge in treats occasionally? Does she forget about food unless she is hungry? Does she get enough sleep? Does she take great care of herself? NOW PUT HER TO WORK Once you have a brilliant, clear, detailed description of the wonderful evolved future you it is time to put her to work. Every time you are faced with a behavioural choice ~ what to eat, how to train, believing negative thoughts ~ ask yourself "What would the wonderful evolved me do?" Vividly imagine her in the situation you are now in and take note of what she would do. Who is being described most in the text? - not enough information - The author's future self - The reader's past self - The reader's future self
The reader's future self