Petty Self Realizations

I believe in the basics. 

If you break it, you buy it. 
Do unto others... 
People in glass houses...

You know... the stuff character is made of. 

And then come those moments where you realize that you are human and are judging even if you don't realize it. Here are a few things I'm embarrassed to admit but the first step in solving a problem... well, you know that one too. 

1.)  Bad teeth

I don't mean just crooked but gnarly, nasty and yellow like they haven't been introduced to a dentist - ever. I've always had the good fortune of being hauled to the dentist kicking and screaming my entire life. First my parents did it, then I did it for myself. I'm blessed with very little dental issues so it's just an inconvenience to me. I should feel for those who did not grow up with the same advantages however, and this is where the judgment comes from, when your in your 30's and beyond, you can do this for yourself. I've never seen a respected boss, coach or other leader with a gnarly grill in any setting. 

C'mon folks. Save your cigarette & beer money for a couple of weeks and invest in a Sonicare, please. 

2.)  Poor vocabulary usage

This one is petty but I guess that's what this blog is revealing. Look, I'm the queen of using "you're" when it should be "your" and I never know if there should be an apostrophe after an s (xxs') or before (xx's). Let's not even start down the path of affect vs effect. Ugh. 

I'm talking about those who are so busy trying to be smart that they miss the point of the conversation entirely - to communicate a thought and/or idea. To be understood and to understand the other person. 

For example: in a business meeting, a person continued to use the word "egress". Now I know what egress means but in this situation it was an unnecessary use of a 25c word when "exit" would have made the point more clearly. Maybe it was their "word of the day" or they've been playing too much Words With Friends. I don't know, but it was pretentious and made them look like an asshole. 

Of course, then I had to go and be petty, interrupt the conversation and ask "what does egress mean", shining a light on their fecal covered faux pas. Yeah, probably got some on me too. Not my finest moment. 

The other vocabulary faux pas is choosing a big word that you think means something but actually means the opposite. In a recent conversation, a high level executive said "No deference to {insert other executive's name here}, but..." 

Okay, there is so much wrong with this statement that I hardly know where to begin but lets start with word usage. 

Deference actually means respect. By saying "No deference" he was actually saying the opposite of what he was trying to convey which was "no disrespect". I found it humorous and was smart enough to just smile to myself and leave it alone this time. This guy isn't a bad guy but his ignorance is showing. That's for sure. 

And another thing, any time your calling out another high level person by saying "no disrespect but..." you can stop right there because it doesn't matter what comes next. All we hear is, "but this guy is wrong and I'm going to trash his idea". Okay. I'll watch the penis contest unfold in front of me then point and laugh at how small both your dicks are. Idiots. 

Petty to the end.