What Is the Biggest Downside to Being One Dimensional?

16 years ago, I became a security guard.

I worked the job for 4 years before the shipping terminal downsized 70% of the guard work force. Computers easily did our jobs. I agreed. I felt free to leave the sometimes 18 hour days, numerous double shifts sprung on me when I’d rather go home and sleep at midnight – versus working 8 hours in a zombie-like state – and 6-7 day work weeks.

I gracefully coasted to being a professional blogger. Yeah, right; I struggled mightily but eventually became a pro blogger.

However, many of my security guard co-workers behaved as if their whole life died before them the moment we received the collective pink slip. Panic set in. Depression surfanced. Rank anxiety swept through the force. Most of the security guards saw themselves as only being security guards. Being a fired security guard meant sprinting like mad to find the next security guard job because much of the work force did not develop the skills and maintain the open-ness to do anything else.

That was a terrible time to find work because massive downsizing guaranteed only scant part time work availed itself. No one found full time work.

Which brings us to the biggest downside to being one dimensional; in a world of change, you become obsolete.

Change Forces Change or Prolonged Suffering

I gratefully accepted unemployment for a while as I thought through my life. I changed with the downsizing change because I never viewed myself in one dimensional fashion. 

Some of my guard mates suffered for a long time by resisting change versus changing with change. Being one dimensional means the pier guards forced themselves to look only for pier guard jobs. But pier guard jobs had been vanishing because most if not all pier guard jobs became computerized as a cost-saving and efficiency measure.

The wise guards saw themselves as more than security guards. Some chose work in other fields. I chose to be a blogger. I only became a blogger because I have never viewed myself in a one dimensional light.

Officer Worker? Nahhh…..

I recall my mom telling me in the early 2000’s:

“Let’s face it; you’re an office worker.”

She honestly was not being negative, nasty or demeaning. My mom simply had no real vision for her life. She sure as heck had no vision for my life.

Mom has suffered from dementia for the past 8 years. She has no idea how my life turned out past 2012. But I bet she would smile and be a bit shocked how her office worker son became a pro blogger who landed features on Fox News, Forbes, Entrepreneur and Virgin.

I smile because far from trying to prove anything to my mom, I simply knew the office worker son would be doing much more down the road. From shooting almost 60% from the 3 point line through my basketball career from grammar school to the JUCO level, to being a part time model, to throwing myself into bodybuilding, to graduating with honors as a meteorologist, I vowed to enjoy life fully. I also decided to develop skills throughout many areas of my life.

Change does not scare me because even though I feel passionate about the blogging tips niche I could begin blogging about meditation, self-help, basketball, bodybuilding or meteorology tomorrow. I could become an authority in any niche because I have thousands of hours of life experience in all niches.

What if blogging goes away overnight? The scenario hardly appears likely but a podcasting, vlogging or online business career awaits me.

Change feels fun, exciting and freeing for multi-dimensional human beings.