Dear 23-year-old me; 10 things I Hate about you.
trying to be my own judge feels like:
Medium: Tell your story…
Chris: I will. Though, I’m pretty sure I won’t enjoy it. I hope you will.
Staring at a blinky cursor. Someone wants me to tell a story.
For now, it is the bot that takes care of Medium’s UI.
That title, was a click-bait; I know. You are here for some references to the all-time-classic 90's romantic comedy. ‘Ere is my poem, as a fan service.
10 Things I Hate about Me:
I hate the way you #sleep so much,
and your smile when you snooze.
I hate that you’re #postponing stuff,
and all the time you lose.
I hate how you’re #complaining,
about the things “I Hate”!
I hate that you cannot #stand_up,
Say no (!), apart from yay!
I hate that you #never_judge,
nor me, nor you, no none.
I hate that you’re not #traveling,
your silly hair and van.
I hate the way we #network,
the constant lack of booze.
I hate it with the passion,
Carrie Bradshaw has for shoes.
I hate that you’re an #egoist,
just count the “I”s in here.
I hate that I’m now #listing these,
and that I let you peer.
But mostly, I hate the way #I_don’t_hate_me,
not even close
not even a little bit,
not even at all.”
Truth hurts. But acknowledging a mistake, is the first step in eliminating it; amiright?
If you read this far, allow me to guess that it’s not just Medium’s blinking cursor that wants me to tell my story. Let’s delve a little deeper, it can’t get any worse at this point; the point of no return.
Come to think about it, I catch my self feeling quite excited everytime I get to write the next part of this article. Honestly, I might not be sure why, but I enjoy it. Time to shed some light on each aforementioned point.
(those bold hashtagged words, throughout the… poem)
1. Wake up earlier.
Come on Chris, we’ve talked about that a million times.
Had I spent all this time either sleeping or doing, instead of thinking about it, I would be a well-rested successful adult; you don’t find that combo easily.
I’ve read so many articles on Medium, heard so many Ted talks, and repeatedly had this conversation IRL that I should have listened to me once. But nope, here I am writing these very words “5 hours past morning-time”;
for me, every time I wake up, is more like mourning time,
2. Do it. Yesterday.
You postpone stuff. A lot. You lack discipline. You want to change the world, but you only type about it; ok some times you add sketches or music to it but still. Take initiative. Start doing. #DoMore. Now.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
3. Stop Complaining.
Realising what is wrong, is right. Fighting your inner demons is a necessity. You have people that love you and root for you; and you are thankful. But oh boy, that Drama Queen inside you, needs to shut up for the King to stand up!
Your best friends are not the ones that care about what you have to say, but the ones that listen to you with care.
Stop pushing these boundaries and people’s patience to the limit.
Start changing.
4. Stand up | #not_comedy
You are an up-in-the-pink-clouds marketeer. You love crafting “loveable and shareable” content. You breath to think of the next “Yesterday you said tomorrow”. These awesome thingies that people love, are part you.
And you my friend, need to strap on a pair and stand up. Learn to say no. Learn to ask for whatever you want. People need to hear the truth, even if they don’t want to. It’s in everyone’s best interest.
You started doing this very thing with you, today.
Next stop: the world.
5. Judge | Evaluate | Evolve
#Critical thinking leads to critical decisions, revealing turning points, amazing twists and opportunities. It all boils down to Critique aka judgment. I’m no philologist, but I’m Greek — haven’t I told you before? — I can tell the root of a word and the meaning; take my word for it. Yep, we all remember the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. #portokali
This is a pivotal point in my life indeed. Actually it’s not. It’s up to me. We are the sum of our choices. And I don’t choose #stale. Changing, for the better, requires critic. Turning harsh enough and becoming a fair judge of oneself, amongst everyone else, is part of the agenda. Solidifying decisions and forging relationships that carry you forward, is your responsibility. Do it — yesterday.
6. Travel
Outside of your comfort zone. That’s where the #magic happens. Stand up! Literally. Stand up now. I know people are watching. They always will.
So be it.
Here I am, typing these very words standing up in a crowded university atrium. I’m being honest here. Foolish, but honest. Most importantly, I’m outside of my comfort zone.
You know what sucks about your comfort zone?! It’s not that comforting. Has it been nice — correction, amazing — I’d never ask you to leave it. But, you cannot deny that where you stand now, is not amazing. Ok, go ahead, lie to yourself Chris. Tap your own shoulder. “There there”.
Stop, wait a minute. Traveling, I should be talking here. Traveling is stepping out of your comfort zone. Lose your “amazing” bed, favorite beer and burger. Lose that awful, still satisfyingly safe and comforting morning commute. Broaden your horizons. (Buzz-word alert) Travel, meet new people and do different things. Or do the same things, differently. It is free, and it can be ama — wait for it — zing.
7. Networking
You hate to love it. No. You love to hate it. Does it make any difference? Well, yeah. Still, the truth lies in between.
You could be loving it, but you’re doing it wrong. I want to share in a little advice, if I may. Everyone at these Networking events would rather be at home, watching re-runs of 90’s sitcoms on Netflix. Because they also network wrong.
Don’t attend networking events with a group of friends/colleagues, sit in a closed circle around a table and create a not-that-comforting-at-all comfort zone. Stand alone. Be open and #Network! Amazing right? Everyone wants to meet someone new.
Talk to them. Start with a “ Hi!”. Follow up with any unique random question you can think of. They’ll love it. e.g. “If your life had a theme song, which song would it be?” or “ What’s the first thing I should learn about you?” or “These shoes remind me of my best friend in college. Where did you study?”. Do it now. Thank me later.
8. Ego.
I’m an egoist. There! I said it. Are we cool now? Is this “disclaimerish” enough? Everyone loves the spot light, and I stand guilty. Everyone wants to shine, much like a shooting star. Come to thing about it, a shooting star manages to stand out among the… stars! That’s something, amazing — pun intended!
More on that, in my next article; until then here’s what you’ve missed.
Being an egoist is amazingly fun. It’s funnily painful. It can be a great asset, as long as there is measure. The constant drive to excel can only be positive, both for you and the world around. Simply, look out. Don’t sacrifice more than you should. There is no one-man show. I know you would like to be Iron Man, Chris. But even Tony, needed the Avengers. Now settle for his funny beard/mustache and move on.
9. Lists and planning
I’m not perfect — yeah right. But in some things… ; in some things I rock. Thinking. Thinking of great “things”, is what I do. This is the reason people love and respect me. It is why I am/will be getting paid. Being creative is not what I’m paid to do. It is what I am. full stop.
Still, the amazing Marketing Director future-me, needs one extra “thing”. Planning. Being able to see in the future, and marking a Strategy. Managing a team and helping everyone be as efficient as they can.
What this means, you ask? To put it bluntly, bullet-lists. Planning, listing, time management, discipline and HR. I used to hate them. Now I respect them. I’m working on it. To be honest, what I hate about them, is the fact that it is not my bread and butter; yet.
10. #not Hating me
I have never been happier. I enjoyed it more than I should; if there is such a thing. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’ve evaluated most of my mistakes. I’m working on bettering, me.
I wish to change — more than — 10 things on me. But I don’t wish to change me. Not “hating” me means settling. It means accepting this less-than-ideal version of me. I refuse.
I love me enough, to “hate” me, thus recreating me. I should’ve started “20 years ago”; it’s ok. Now works.
We are Done! High Five! You’ve stayed with me until now. I had to get this out of my system. Honestly, Thank you. It means the world to me. Really. You can trust me, I was actually standing up between 50ish people while typing that previous paragraph after all.
I really hope that in parts of me, you saw reflections of your self, and we can all decide to move on now. We can do it. As long as we start, doing #irony. I hope we’ll meet again.
I didn’t write this article looking for redemption. I’m writing in need of a closure. I hate/love 23-year-old me. I admire that he wanted to become a Super Hero. But now “want” is not enough. I look forward to saluting him with respect and moving on.
I’m ready. Eager. Curious. I’m Chris Tsiolas.
