work self / street self

during my numerous years of work experience, i've observed many coworkers. i've seen some coworkers climb the corporate ladder in record time, and others that sit at the same position year after year after year. after year.

i didn't really know what the difference between these two types of people was (besides the aforementioned) until i blurted out a short phrase. the line to my friend was in casual conversation regarding his power hungry and very annoying boss.

"winners at work are losers in the real world"

the more i thought about this, the more my generalization held true. the people who were important at work seemed to be awkward and unpopular outside of work. and those who "kept it real" and insisted on wearing their shirt un-tucked with tattoos on their neck never made it past the mail room. however they were the ones who had a life outside of work, the "cool" ones.

you can't categorize everyone into those simple categories, there is a third category, rarely seen in the wild. this category is the both category.

the only way you can catch one of these is by seeing them in a work environment and then a play environment. the two faced people always come out on top in the real world. they have their work face, and their play face. better yet the know how and when to use each.

many of my most successful friends have this mastered this technique. so i think.

somehow, to be successful in a professional environment one must convey that their outside life is simply a means to support their work life. if you tell everyone at work that you went to a raging party over the weekend, you are now somewhat of a liability. you're the loser at work and a winner at life.

but if your weekend was a quiet chance for you to get some good rest in order to be fresh and energetic at work, you may be up for a good review! way to go work winner!

those who have everyone fooled are the ones winning the war. they're having their cake and eating it too. if their play friends knew how geeky and dorky they were at work they'd be excommunicated. and if the workplace found out how wild and crazy these stable and conservative-appearing employees were, they'd be demoted to entry level analyst!

so what's the overall theme here? be deceitful and two faced if you really want to enjoy your success!