Introducing a new Tom!

The good thing about long weekends is the short weeks that follow them! It’s Friday again tomorrow, and although I can’t say that the days have gone particularly quickly, the week on a whole has.

Today, on the other hand did go quickly. I’m writing this at 9pm, and it only seems a couple of hours since it was 9am… twelve hours have passed! Blimey!

Another side of my character came out in work today.

The mild mannered, bumbling personality I use in work was still there on the whole, but this morning I set myself a challenge. I had to recreate a problem that occurred every so often with one of the computer systems, but was a major problem when it did occur. I couldn’t recreate it by doing exactly what the users did. I checked the behind the scenes database, and noticed that something wasn’t quite right. The information was getting crossed over along the way. There were connections being made that shouldn’t have been there, and the result meant the wrong information was being displayed to the user.

OK. I could see why it was going wrong. I could see how it would look when it did go wrong. I now needed to make it go wrong, so the software writers could do their job and put it right.

I’m not going to write about the systems, the data or the links I had to put together to enable me to make it go wrong, but I will write that I DID IT!

Tom the Geek emerged this morning at around 10.30am. He looked into the problem from the viewpoint of the problem, rather than the system. As soon as he found what was causing the problem, he recreated the problem. Again, and again, and again. There was no doubt that working backwards in this instance helped me to save many more hours of doing the same old things to try to recreate the problem without success.

Tom the Geek, I thank you.

What about me? Now, that voice sounds familiar.

It’s Bernard… my nagging inner voice, and he is feeling very put out. I ask Bernard, “What about you? What did you do?”

I encouraged Tom the Geek to do his best.

Bernard never encourages anything. That’s how I know that he is feeling very put out. Nothing is ever good enough. Tom the Geek’s work would not have been good enough. Bernard is up to something. In fact, Bernard has been quite quiet of late. He is definitely up to something.

No. I think Tom the Geek did a really good job.

What? Am I hearing this correct? Bernard pouring praise on another part of my personality?

What is so unusual about that? You never listen to me. You are useless. Not like Tom the Geek.

Tom the Geek is me. You are me. I am me. I am having a three-way conversation with myself here and feel as though I am losing some kind of debate. (I always lose debates. I don’t like debates.)

You are. And it is a two-way conversation. Tom the Geek isn’t speaking, and you are losing. You are listening to me. Loser.

OK.

That is it!

I’m not listening to Bernard. I did a really good job today, by utilising the power that I have within my Tom the Geek persona. If I had tapped into the power of Bernard, then yes, I would never have found the problem. I wouldn’t have even got started as something, anything, would have gotten in my way. The problem was found by me in very quick time. The problem was resolved by the writers shortly afterwards.

Bernard, listen to me now: I DID A GOOD JOB!

The next time you tell me that I don’t know what I’m doing, think of that statement. Think of the times I have solved problems in the past. Think of the way that I felt good after doing those things… more than once… and also remember this:

There are many more aspects to my character that you haven’t met yet. Like Tom the Geek, they may appear completely at random. Do whatever is needed really well, and not once complain.

I’m actually looking forward to these new aspects of my character making their unannounced appearances as and when is necessary. I’m looking forward to see how these aspects of my character guide me to an easier future. I’m looking forward to getting to know other aspects of myself that I don’t yet know. And I’m looking forward to be able to give Bernard a good run for his money.

Yes, he can still have his say. But only when I want to listen… oh, maybe Bernard has given me something to think about after all… I was listening to him… I have got the skills within me when I really need to use them. I can make my future better! I CAN DO IT!

That doesn’t sound like a loser speaking to me…