Hi Folks,
Off topic but I think worth mentioning. I had a discussion with a fellow presenter at KubeHuddle this weekend. This person has achieved a lot more than me in the Kubernetes and IT world and I have a genuine respect for them. What struck me during our conversation was an apparent lack of ego in my partner’s interactions. There was not even the slightest nuance of bragging or self aggrandisement. At one point I said “you must be very proud about having achieved so much”. To my great surprise the response was very placid. “only the insecure and fools make great importance of their achievements, a bucket that is empty is easily filled with any liquid until it overflows, but a pipe conducts the liquid through and the liquid does not spill, be the pipe not the bucket”
I put down the response to the person coming from a very different cultural background than mine. After all I grew up in the Canadian/American “push push, go harder harder, work more more, stand above the rest culture which focuses on the “win” and not the process.
After some thought I decided to turn the focus back onto myself. Do I work in IT, post on forums, take part in Ambassador programs because I need attention or because I simply enjoy working in IT? The honest answer was a bit of both but after further thought I realised that I really only gained true satisfaction from the latter. The desire for attention and confirmation from others is never fully satisfied, it is the bucket that is forever empty and will always at some point overflow. There will always be someone better, smarter and more original that you and so the battle for positive assessment from others is always a losing endeavour. Your appetite will grow stronger during the meal!
However, the fun and joy from working with technologies and spreading this knowledge to others never ceases to deliver a deep down sense of satisfaction. If you can spread your enthusiasm and views on a certain given technology the reward is a million times better than the points or awards that are given out in various gaming strategies.
As human beings we are not static but fluid, the person you are today is not necessarily the person you will be tomorrow. However, the good news is that we have much more power to control that evolution than we may realise. Every day wake up and self analyse. Ask before action. For example am I creating a post or posting a comment just to gain or am I trying to explain? Does seeing my face on a list of speakers fill me with unwarranted hubris? then perhaps I had better not look.
After winning a major battle Roman Generals would be given a triumph, which among other things included a procession through the streets of Rome in an open chariot. The General would be enthusiastically welcomed by the populace and treated as a hero but the cunning Romans made sure that they had a person standing behind the General whispering “you are not a God you are a man”. Obviously one could see here the work of jealous Emperor’s worried about potential coup d’etats but at the same time there was wisdom in the practice and an understanding that the human ego can in the end defeat even the most powerful general.
Beware of your ego and keep it under constant surveillance and control!
