The official CustomUSB.com Blog has been moved to http://www.customusb.com/blog/. There, you can find all the past articles as well as all the new ones. I will still be updating it, it just looks move official now.

CustomUSB.com Official Blog

You may be the most capable sales person on the planet, but if I can’t trust you, we can’t work together.

My first math book was wrong. One plus one does not equal two. It equals three. In fact, sometimes it equals a lot more than that.

If I am skilled at something and you are skilled at something and we  collaborate, great things can happen – greater than what we can do individually.

This is how open source and social media work. Someone starts a project, others join in and the end result is something all of those people could never have achieved individually.

I propose a new term – 113.

Obama’s election was a 113. Twitter is a 113. Being remarkable requires 113.

Who you are is what you do, and vise versa. So why are so many people stuck in jobs they hate. Every day I witness someone who is unhappy doing what they signed up for, voluntarily. Here are my thoughts on it.

You are employed at your present job for one of two reasons – you like what you do, or you are not sure what you want to do so you’re trying it out. First off, it’s ok to try. In fact, I encourage trying. This is the only way you ever will find out what you like - not by reading books and wondering what if, but actually trying (take a class on a subject you are not familiar with, work in a field you have never worked before, go do that new thing).

If you love what you do – great. I love what I do which makes me that much better at it. There is a saying, “the more you like your job, the less you call it work.” Notice that most great things are created by people who enjoy creating them.

Now, you’re still in the search phase. It’s understandable. A lot of people out there (including my wife) are still searching, so believe me when I say – I understand. In fact, I had to go through 4 years of computer school just to realize that it’s not what I want to do in life. Be patient and honest with yourself and your time will come.

Back to the issue of job hating. Why would you torture yourself and the people you work for? If you don’t like what you do, the solution is obvious. Or maybe not. Maybe your need to have a job outweighs your dread of coming to work each day. In that case, quit complaining and just work, or quit, but still quit complaining. As they say, “actions are stronger than words.” I don’t remember the last time that complaining did anyone any good. Action, on the other hand, at least does something.

Here are some points to consider.

• The grass is greened on the other side. It’s human nature to assume that it’s always better somewhere else.
• Someone out there is tired of fucking the supermodel. Realize that it’s not a difference of good or bad, but rather of new and old. This is why people quit good jobs, or cheat on their partners, or trade in a Ferrari for Lamborghini. Remember Hugh?
• You still have to work. A recent TechCrunch article shows some letters from Google employees who have resigned from their job at “the best company to work for”. After the free lunch and a ping-pong breaks, you still have to return to your cube and look at code for 8 hours. Stop thinking that you can cruise through life.
• Your attitude is infectious. By being negative, you make people around you feel negative. Instead of hating what you do, surround yourself with people that love their job.

Ultimately, the choice is yours, but keep in mind that the door is always open. If you’re not happy, change it.