Come to work as our favorite characters

We each have that inner voice that calls to us, telling us how the state of our affairs is progressing. Sometimes that voice echoes of wisdom and sound planning. Other times we are gambling with just working the pencil sharpener. Each of us tends to be drawn to certain animated characters more than others in life. Occasionally those character traits leak out, and others are able to gain a glimpse into our secret worlds.

We all have character traits that seem odd and puzzling to others, yet to ourselves, they seem quite normal. I have a friend whose character traits of Darth Vader and Roger Rabbit often surface at the most inappropriate times. She is a complete enigma to many, and yet I have sensed that she often wishes more people would like her, or dislike her – depends on the day.  She is a dear friend, and I keep her around for entertainment value.

If I came to work as my favorite characters, I would have to balance my work environment between Captain Jack Sparrow and Yoda. Balance being the key in this scenario. While I have the luck of any pirate, my sensibility and insight from being a great Jedi cannot be overlooked.

While I have my pirate voice that urges me to take the shot, risk it all, gamble for the prize, my Yoda voice quickly picks up a stick and whacks me on top of the head – while chanting, “Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.”  Attack of the Clones.

“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.” Attack of the Clones

Ah yes, the younger years. I admit that I have outgrown my inner Mad Max days, and I will never dance as John Travolta did in Saturday Night Fever. Yet there are days that the motor is still running and the urge to spin out of control just seems overwhelming. Mix that urge with the classic Bee Gees tune blasting out Staying Alive and you have a criminal on your hands. Sadly those days are gone (secretly thanking God!). Yet there are many people who come to work ready to spin and dance – throwing caution to the wind. You may be one of them.

When Yoda first entered into my repertory of personality characters, I was stumbling through a gigantic shift in my life. Walls were crumbling and the rebel force was quickly losing ground. It was the era of correction, and the evil empire was all fired up on a massive quest to head hunt, reorganize and restructure with robots and yes men, and yes women. Yoda was my internal sounding board.

Then along Jack.  You can say what you want about Captain Jack Sparrow, but remember his words “You’ve stolen me and I’m here to take myself back”. Truer words have never been spoken. Often throughout our working lives, we allow people to ripe at our integrity, demean our value system, and strip away at our pride and honor. When you lift your head up and smile, knowing you have the upper hand – even when that upper hand is not yet visible, a true pirate you will be.

“You’ve stolen me and I’m here to take myself back”.

Captain Jack unlike Darth Vader and all the other dark followers of the evil empire, understands that “Not all treasure is silver and gold mate”. One of life’s greatest lessons is to gain a value of purpose. A self-purpose that cannot be bought, for it is a human characteristic that measures the true inner value of a man or woman.  Embrace your inner character, there are lessons that need to come out of that embrace. As Yoda would say Humm, “The force is strong in this one”.

Humm, “The force is strong in this one”.

Everyday can be Halloween at the office. Next time you walk past your co-workers office, look in for just a few seconds more and imagine them in their inner character. You might find a Mary Poppins or Dirty Harry lingering behind the desk. If our characters could talk to one another the world would be a better place.  Jack would say “If you choose to lock your heart away, you’ll lose it for certain”.

“If you choose to lock your heart away, you’ll lose it for certain”