It’s a proverbial question intended to make one consider whether they are a pessimist (half empty) or an optimist (half full).

I’m a contrarian but also rely on and crave logic.  How I’d answer the aforementioned: Is it even my glass? No? Then why would I even care?  I actually said something to this effect when I was asked this question in elementary school.

Often times I will illustrate the negative points in a particular situation, which many people will interpret as negative.  I maintain that looking for potential issues can help you plan for and avoid potential catastrophes. Plan for the worst but expect the best kind of thing.

Perception, though, is reality.

I’ve learned that new employees will, at some point, tell me that I’m intimidating. Definitely not my intention but I’ve heard it enough times from people who aren’t connected to each other to know that there’s something in the way that I present myself that can make a person feel this way. Fair enough, I have to be aware of this and try to find ways to connect with them.

My curiosity lead me to wonder what people’s impression of me is and the results couldn’t be more perfect:

I am usually at my best in times of crisis. Everything slows down, I become calm and deliberate with everything that I do; I’ll also talk others off of the ledge and will make a lot of inappropriate jokes.  It’s a very valuable skill to have as an employer. Being good in a crisis can also make you crave crisis, a path I found myself on for far too many years.  (That’s another story for another time)

Wednesday was a day that, I believe, would push most people to their breaking point.

I had an employee resign without notice, literally walked out of the door at 430, sent me a 7-word text, and didn’t leave any notes on what work was outstanding or actions we’d need to take-just split.  That text arrive when I was out of the office.

This resignation happened while I was taking possession of a camper that I was then going to transport out to the race track. It was new (to me) and I was really looking forward to getting my racing HQ setup for this weekend’s Summer Challenge race.

Whenever I drive a vehicle for the first time I am hyper-aware of every bump, sound and movement. From the time that I left the dealership, I could feel that the trailer brakes were weak/not working…..not ideal but I was making a short trip mostly on low traffic roads and I was confident that I could get to the track without issue.

I didn’t make it 5km from the dealership when I heard a very loud hissing, saw a bit of smoke in the right side mirror and then rubber was flying all over the place.  A tire blew out.   It blowed up real good!

This expression came from John Candy and Joe Flaherty on SCTV in a skit called Farm Film Celebrity Blow Up.

Now, I’m stuck on the side of the highway, with only a small shoulder to park on with big trucks whipping by every few moments; not exactly a relaxing proposition.  I was also going to work on my kart that night to get ready for the weekend but that plan was also cancelled meaning that my Friday at the track will be a bit more intense.

Fortunately, I deal with an excellent RV distributor who dispatched their service vehicle immediately. A

I already had my spare tire waiting, helped the technician carry his tools and even retorqued the wheel once installed……I mean, c’mon, do you think that I’d be able to watch someone else torque my stuff?

The technician commented a few times that I was handling things much better than he would have.  I told him about how, in my younger days, I would have likely blown a gasket but that just made me mad, everyone else uncomfortable and never once helped remedy the situation.

I suspect that a large percentage of people would have lost their shit which would have lead to the dealership doing the bare minimum to get the angry people out of their face.

When we got the trailer back to the dealership I made my fridge full of delicious, adult flavoured beverages available to the GM of the dealership and the technician.  We had a couple of drinks and I was informed yesterday that they put 4 new tires on the unit which also included upgrading from 10 ply to 12 ply tires.  They are also going to rebuild the brakes for me.

Sometimes not being an asshole works best.