Sinking Self Esteemship

Today, while reading Cool Hunting, I saw something that made me stand up and shout "Amen! Halleluja!!" Well, I didn't actually stand up because that would have meant shedding my giant woobie scarf-blankie thing and exposing my skin to the bitter cold, but I was very excited. What, you ask, could make me so excited? A book by Laurie Rosenwald entitled "All the Wrong People Have Self Esteem." While the book seems to be a mix of meanings and media, the title is what gets me going. You see, I have noticed often, and lately with increased frequency, that there are tons of people in the world who operate under the delusion that they are smart, skilled, and talented beyond reality, and use this high self-image to propel themselves forth in the world of business. I'm talking about the idiot bosses who run companies into the ground, all the while thinking that they are above taking advice from anyone around them. These people think and act with an undeserved authority, and they rise through the ranks virtually unquestioned and uncontested.

If you work for one of these people, you find yourself asking how they are able to walk out the door without getting hit by a bus every morning, let alone make a career for themselves. Given their ineptitude, you are no longer shocked by billionaire CEOs who can't seem to manage their way out of their own socks, yet have been entrusted with the fate of a giant company (and the jobs of thousands). Our nation's recent economic downfall is the fault of such people, whose own unwarranted self esteem has helped them reach the top, oblivious to the fact that their personal ladder of success is constructed out of marshmallows.

The upside of this is that it has given me a new-found confidence in my own abilities. If these schmucks can do it, why can't I? And why can't you for that matter? Whether this undeserved self esteem comes from class entitlement, or the praise heaped on them by those around them, these people have taken over the world, and need to be stopped. We can usurp their power, one dumbass at a time. Who's with me?

P.S. - I've already requested Laurie's book from the library, and I can't wait to read her thoughts on the topic of her title. She may have had a different idea altogether, in which case, I would sound like a total nut job. But that ship, I fear, may have already sailed.

Designo (from Decorno)

Decorno has become one of my favorite design blogs because she's not afraid to say what she feels about the design world when most bloggers just blather blithely away about pretty things. This post really says it all.

I understand bloggers' reticence to post anything negative for fear of the torrent of snarky comments from self-righteous losers with nothing better to do. Can you believe someone commented to her that her marriage wouldn't last five years? What a miserable person you must be to say that to someone. As my mother always said, if you don't have anything nice to say, then... um... uh. Clearly I wasn't listening to her. Because so many people play it safe and avoid the wrath of the commentariat, I find it especially refreshing to hear from a someone who will gladly speak the truth, and who manages to do so without being mean.

But back to my point. Decorno's recent experience with a delinquent contractor provides a perfect example of why I left the interior design business. You are constantly forced to deal with insane contractors who see no fault with telling you they would rather work on their own home than yours, or with taking your money and leaving you high and dry. And when you aren't dealing with the contractors, you are dealing with clients who are not used to having someone treat them this way, and can't believe that a businessperson would do that, and thus decide that it must be YOUR fault. It's madness! The design mags, blogs, and shows only give you the pretty, shiny, finished product, not the months of torture and tears the designer goes through to make everyone happy. I know I sound like a whiner, but I'm not alone. Many of my designer friends working at many different firms have come to the same conclusion that it's just not worth it, and have fled to other industries. I hope I haven't dashed anyone's designer dreams, but they don't tell you any of this good stuff design school (or in Elle Decor).