2 Kinds of People: Eat the RAW steak vs. Complain to the Waiter

My husband and I were eating dinner at a steak restaurant once. It wasn't a typical steak place- it was a really expensive place where they specialized in their amazing steak-cooking abilities. He ordered his steak well done and I ordered mine- medium rare. Well, when our food came- I got what I wanted and I was pretty happy. I ordered a medium rare and that is what I got. However, when my husband received his (well done), it was all but walking off his plate. Yep. His wasn't just a little pink, it was RAW.  It was bloody, uncooked, and pretty disgusting unless you like to eat raw meat.

When I informed him that he needed to say something, speak up. He grew worried and didn't want to be "that kind of customer." You know, the one that is a pain in the ass. It took a few more attempts to chew his uncooked meat and nearly vomiting at that- to finally cause him to flag the waiter and speak up.

THERE ARE 2 KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD:

1. THE PASSIVE AGRESSIVE TYPE: Those that do not speak up, do things underhandedly when they are upset and are afraid of confrontation. These are the types that will smile to your face and back stab you at the same time.

OR

2. THE  "I TAKE NO BS"  STRAIGHT FORWARD TYPE: The person that confronts issues head on and tells the waiter "I didn't order raw meat." I am that kinda guy. Not the quiet type that is afraid to simply ask for an expensive steak to be cooked a bit longer. 

People that are my friends actually appreciate my straight forwardness. Others that don't like it are not my friends and I do not associate with them. Period. People value genuineness too. They know when you are real and when you are fake. That is why I do not believe in simply networking and cold/superficial contacts where people want to keep you at arms length. 

Recently in the last 2 days my persistance has landed me an internship with a Los Angeles studio and a potential offer to write a biography of someone's amazing true life story. I did this through utilizing my contacts (over 600 now- 95% are all film industry) on Linkedin and also my ability to connect with people and really care about them. 

Hey, so some people may think that being #2 on my personality list above is a bit "Oh my gosh....she's so abrasive. Why doesn't she just eat the raw meat and not complain to the waiter. What will the waiter and the restaurant think of her if she complains!"I prefer to be myself and those that really want to work with me- can. Those that don't- hey, more power to you.

Bottom Line: Do not be afraid to speak up. Because, while some may not jive with my blunt approach. I have many more contacts that would prefer it any day of the week above fake passive aggressive BS. I am a straight shooter. So far, I have already landed an internship in Los Angeles and a potential book writing gig. The internship is still being ironed out- as we are trying to work out a way to do it via telecommuting. Which is possible. The book writing gig- I just said "ABSOLUTELY" to her today. Being that this will be my 2nd official book I write (3rd if you count an unpublishable 600 page mess I wrote 12 years ago). So, I know all too well, it is not an easy undertaking when creating anything. There will be hard work ahead, but those that know me know that I am not afraid of hard work. 

Hey, so these aren't 6 figure job offers, but for a current Grad student- it is not bad. I must be doing something right and that must be that those that do like me- are the potential job opportunities that matter.

"You draw more people to you with honey than you do with vinegar." Yeah, yeah, yeah.....BUT, "A CLOSED MOUTH DOESN'T GET FED EITHER, AND HOW ARE YOU GONNA BUY HONEY WITHOUT THE MONEY?!?!" 

Shut Up or Speak Up- Media and Decorum

Often times there are unsaid rules that people do not teach you right away, these things we learn the hard way. Ones that you have to learn in order to achieve success, especially in this viral community where everything we put out on the internet can be used against us in the future.

When you get hired especially in film or media, there is almost always unsaid rules to the business that you do not know until much later. Some rules have to do with how you socialize, who you socialize with and what you say on the internet. As social networking is being pushed at us, we are constantly encouraged and reminded that we need to be utilizing social networking sites to continue to keep a large networking base close to us. However, what some of these studios do not tell you is that they actually research what you say. Yes, it is not uncommon for new employers to do a bit of research on you. Most will track what you say, analyze your writing, and what you do on your off time. I was once turned down for a job at a studio in Los Angeles when they researched me on the internet and complained that they tracked that I have worked on a variety of films. Bottom line, they were worried that I was going to quit in the future for a crew position. 

I have also had employers read my blogs and track me meticulously on the internet. While that may feel like an invasion of privacy. Once we publicly post something- it is out there for people to track. Whether your sexting, posting up crazy pictures of yourself, posting up all of your "extra-curricular" activities. It may be funny and cool with your friends, but for an employer they may frown upon it. So, my thing is feel free to live the way you want, but be careful and know the consequences of throwing yourself out there virally for people to track, document and use against you later.