Honesty

I recently caught my daughter in a lie and found it a moment to teach her a lesson that most have forgotten.  The value of the truth.

When I opened my shop, Tates PC Repair in Bucyrus, I found it important to keep integrity at the front of my business plan.  I was frustrated that I had dealt with years of being forced into masking the truth from customers or being documented (that's a form of punishment) for being transparent and honest.  I hated it!  I actually corrected a lie from another associate to a client in a respectable manor at one point and was put instantly on a final (which, if it was used wouldn't have stuck because it was my first warning but they tried to escalate it to a final warning without due cause).  Not only has this been a staple of my growth it has proven to be the most valuable lesson I could teach my kids in today's world: the good guys still win.

I stopped my daughter from the lie and then corrected her... I then asked her how she had a house to live in.  Keep in mind, my daughter is 6 years old.  She said "because daddy works."  I didn't get the answer I was looking for but let’s coach it out of her...

Me: "Yeah, do you know where daddy works?"

Her: "At your shop."

Me: "Correct, do you know how I have my own shop instead of working for someone else?"

Her: "No."

Me: "Did you know there are people who know more about computers than I do?"

Her: "No."

Me: "It's because daddy tells the truth to his customers.  People want to trust me and they know I can.  Most people that know more than daddy don't like to be completely honest and that makes it easier for daddy's shop to do well... people trust me because I always tell them the truth."

In that moment I felt like the years of heart ache for telling customers what they didn't want to hear was all worth it. I could finally share a key to my success with my children. "I could make it up but honestly I have no idea why you got this infection."  There are some best practices... but after you have your clients executing them and they still have problems the only thing you can do is tell the truth: I don't know.

I was watching Duck Dynasty last night and I saw the Thanksgiving episode when Mrs. Kay said she didn't know how long to fry the turkey... Willie’s first response was: "You can't say you don't know!"  Why not?  Why can't people be human?  We're not saying that we won't get the answer... we're not saying that we won't get it right.  We're simply telling you the truth in that moment.  I would like to commend Mrs. Kay for not making something up or, to be frank, BSing her way out of that moment.  She, instead, took a moment to show her humanity and allow us to trust that she was confident in two things: she could get the answer in a timely manner and everything prior was correct and the best way to do things.  If not... she would have been consulting the same resource she did for the cooking time.  I like Willie Robertson and his life lesson moments he gives on that show for the most part. I don't mean to take away from him or make him look negative for that.  What he's doing is being coached into him by society in today's age.

"Go fast" "No mistakes" "Go faster" "Do it faster"

There comes a point where you're not longer optimizing the situation because you're going faster than what is healthy.  You need to slow down, be sure you're doing things right, be sure you're telling people the truth and have actually researched things to the best of your ability.  Get the proper training.  Enjoy the cycle of life you're in and take your time getting through it.  We all have points of strife and points of prosperity.  Enjoy both of them.  Be honest about both of them.  Tell people what got you to where you are if they ask!

I can tell you why I'm still able to be happy in my moments of sadness: because I have hymns and prayers.  When I'm saddest I will sing a hymn that I learned as a child in Church and it makes me happier.  When I'm depressed I'll pray and it helps me to clear my mind of the worries that were keeping me down.  Sharing things with a neighbor, or more importantly with God if you're a believer, helps you to relax and enjoy life.  That moment of peace makes things so much clearer and helps you to do one of the most important things you can ever do in your life: tell the truth.

Don't sugar coat your lies... if you lie it was wrong and you're going to pay for it.  The best thing you can do is apologize to the person you lied to and explain to them the purpose for your lie.  Most often I think people lie because they don't realize their lies anymore.  They've done it for so long they just do it without thinking. Slow down, think, get the truth, and share it.  There is a correct answer to most questions and anything besides that correct answer is a lie.  Don't be a liar, in the end it will hurt you and those you love.

Hopefully this doesn't completely fall on deaf ears and if you've taken the time to read through this it has either encouraged you for living an honest life, as I try to do.  If you don't I hope it's encouraged you to turn over a new leaf and start.

Have a great day and remember to tell the truth!

Giving Back

Sometimes a hard day's work is something we all have a breath of, and when it is done we're left out of air.  That feeling of exhausted and satisfied is almost addicting and it causes some to become "work-a-holics" and just push for the next goal.

Being a small business owner I get to write my paycheck, at the will of my clients.  The more I work, the more I get paid.  I don't have someone who is disallowing me to work overtime or taxing my efforts with what I feel are foolish hoops to jump through.  What point do I stop and say enough?  When are my clients happy with my quantity and quality of work?

I have taken the time to set a few goals with my wife and I plan to keep them.  Goals are good for both the over-achievers and under-achievers of this world.  They help you strive to do more, or less, than you are currently doing.  If you set a measurable goal with a time frame and you fail then you have learned a lesson.  If you succeed then you know if it's worth tweaking or repeating.  I had a goal when I started my business January 20th of 2010: provide for my family without compromising my values.  You can almost make that the mission statement of my business.

It took me, and my family, four years to get here but this year we have made it to a point of comfort.  It hasn't come without sacrifice.  I have spent five months of the year putting in 70+ hour weeks and the rest of the time I've clocked in 50+ hours.  Time is something you cannot get back and there is something to be said about spending it wisely.  So where are my values?  What is it I want to invest into?

My family is my primary focus; my country is my secondary.  I am a Christian with a James based lifestyle.  The challenge that I have at hand, as a citizen of a free country, is how and when.  How, and when, do I give back?  Not forgetting this does not free me of duty "My Fellow Americans".  It is interesting how the addiction of success can cause people to forget one another.  I have the ability and I will continue to remember what I can do for my Country.

My summa: God, Family, Country.  Being a Christian is a lifestyle, it is an essence.  Having a Family is a responsibility and a blessing, as is being the citizen of this great Country.

Don't forget that inaction is disregarding the greatest liberty we have been given.  I would like to issue the challenge that you do not live with inaction and take a stand against free and work more toward honoring the freedom to Give Back.

I'm Here!

In the world wide web it seems ever more common to have a website, social profile, and blog.  Although, I avoid many things at the hope life will be simpler I have finally decided to embrace sharing my thoughts on manners via the short and timely tweets and the more detailed and delayed blogs.  Simply put: I'm here.

Look forward to the future ramblings and ambitions of a Christian, a Husband & Father, and a Proud American.  Topics can include things related to me, my interests, and my family.  Hopefully you can find some of the things I go through inspirational and entertaining enough to brighten your day.

I find it only fitting to make the first post with some information about who I am.  I am Joe.  I was born in San Francisco, CA in 1984.  I moved to Las Vegas, NV where I met my wife, D'Lainie "Duh Lane Ee", and married in July 2009.  I have three children: Daina Jo "Daina" (5), Joseph Paul Jr "Joseph" (2), and Jason Daniel "Jase" (to be born in the next few weeks).

I started school to be a programmer and software designer due to my desire to create things.  I went through college excelling at programming and was offered a job in Las Vegas with a website and software design firm.  I took the job pre-graduation and found that a cubicle job was not my speed.  I then pursued hardware and networking for small businesses and found that the relationships and work was a nice fit and the technical demand still fulfilled my analytical mind and desire to "make something and make it work".  I was given a job leading a tech bench at a national retailer due to my certifications and learned to dislike the politics of retail.  I have now opened my own shop and provide services in a small town here in the mid-west.

Here we are in Bucyrus, Ohio.  It's Friday the 18th of October and I'm awake early so I thought it would be an opportune time to say hello, I'm here, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on some matters in life.  I will not be fit to a schedule for these posts as they're more designed to be me sharing things I feel are both public matter and important.  I do not plan on forcing these blogs and making them a boring, political, or shallow read.

Feel free to say hello or ask a question and as I have time I will reply.  If you're reading this, you are likely one of the first visitors or you have dug into the archives.  Don't be afraid of the first.  Making a mistake is more likely with the first; however, our mistakes are the stepping stones to our successes.  I look forward to a successful blog with many insightful readers.

Finding me online is easy:
www.mrjoetate.com

Have a wonderful morning and however long until my next post.  I look forward to finding something worth sharing and sharing something worth reading.