What's Your Angle?

Greetings happy people,

I have been at my current workplace for almost 10 years. Throughout this time, I have experienced and created many opportunities for myself.

However, there is one thing that I find troubling, That is the fact that there are people I work with that have been in the same positions for the past 5, 10, or 15 years!! If you asked any of those individuals why they would not take the time to advance, you would probably get the following answers or a variation thereof:

“I like where I am at. After all, it IS a stable position.”

“I don’t want to work under someone I am not crazy about!”

“It’s hopeless because they screwed me out of that promotion!”

“Someone would not let me take the tests to advance!”

As interesting as these answers are, I perceive them to be nothing more than excuses. In today’s world, there is no such thing as stability. There are only two pathways on which one can exist: growth or decay. If you are not doing one, you are surely doing the other. Whether these people know it or not, they actually control where they want to go.

To demonstrate this point, I would like for you to imagine the following example. You are walking on a treadmill with a flat incline. While it is true that you are walking on the treadmill, chances are that you are not getting as much out of it as you like. Instead of going up, you remain at that same constant level. You must eventually get to a point where you have to make the following decision: stay on that constant path (decay) or change your position for growth.

Now let’s imagine walking on that same treadmill with a higher angle. After a few minutes, you notice that you are getting something out of it. The further the climb, the more beneficial the walk becomes for you. You become stronger. You feel empowered. You feel that you are actually doing something that will be rewarding at the end. This in turn allows you to grow.

What is the best way to define this type of thinking? Well, it can be based on one of Newton’s laws:

F = ma

(where F = Force, m = mass, and a = acceleration)

As you can see, this is a pretty handy law. After toying around with this equation, an adjustment can be made to further satisfy the equation. Let us replace the “a” in acceleration with the following:

a = g*sin (theta)

(where a = acceleration, g = acceleration due to gravity, theta = your angle).

This means that the acceleration is based on your angle. Substituting the “a” from the first equation will give you the following:

F = m[g*sin(theta)]

This means that the force you exert is based on your angle. Therefore if you are walking on a flat treadmill (theta = 0 degrees), you are not getting any force output. However, if you increase your angle, you produce a greater force that is free of any friction!!

How does this brief lesson in physics portray the path one might take? Well, it displays that if one stays on a constant path for a long time, nothing can be processed (except more decay). On the flip side, if one chooses to elevate their angle, they have a better chance for growth.

For extra credit, we can also add another law from Newton that states "For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction". This means that you can only receive as much your output. If you put out nothing, you will get nothing! But if you put out something, you will get something in return.

This and the law mentioned earlier can be applied to more that what is taught in a classroom. It can also be applied to how we see ourselves and where we are going. The greater the force we make for ourselves, the greater the results. So, if someone asks you “What’s your angle?” Be sure to tell that person that it is beyond zero!!

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I