Lately I have noticed that in my life I have so many different faces, personas and so many different people who are in my life. I have my professional life, my private life, and the life that really only gets shared with Claire. I do my hair differently depending on what day it is and who I will be seeing, I dress so differently at different times it’s almost confusing even me, and it’s almost hard to keep up with.
Corporate vs. Casual
Wandering the offices it’s all clean-cut. Seeing me dressed in a Ted Baker suit, a Hugo Boss shirt and tie, and excellent cufflinks given to me by Claire is really not that uncommon. I rarely let slip even the smallest profanity, I keep rather quiet and work my ass off. I put everything I have into my work.
Weekends and commute to work, however, is a very different story. Comfortable jeans, studded leather belt, pinstripe hooded sweater, converse all-stars and a beanie. Crumpler bag over my should with badges appended to it, loaded with my geeky gadgets and things I might need. It’s a very different look compares to when I am at work.
Country vs. City
Although I grew up in the country, I have never considered myself a country person until I lived in the city. While I am definitely a city person with what I like, do and how I act most of the time, I still feel the country boy coming out of me.
Most days I am in such a rush with so much on my mind that I am just like any other city person, but I feel like I am so much more polite than the city people I see around. I still thank every shopkeeper I come across, I still let people enter and exit before me, I still say hello to people out of instinct and I still find myself far more patient than most Sydney people.
The faces of Mitch exist for a reason. If I was the same person at work as I am outside of work, I think my bosses would have a bit of a problem with the 24 year-old guy they see trying to climb the corporate ladder. And if I wore my suit out to a beer with my friends, I think they would think I was a bit stiff to be sinking beers.
I have been working so hard since I came to Sydney, it’s definitely a change from the country life. I’ve moved from a rather casual job into a corporate job, from a role without career prospects and a relaxed work ethic into a role with limitless possibilities and challenges. I’ve changed so much as a person and I love the guy I have become.
I am so thankful that I work in a job where I’m not so involved in the corporate side of things home me and work me are the same person - I can wave both aspects of me in everyones face whether they like it or not. Most people seem to like me anyway.
The other advantage of that is when I do have dealings with my various managers, I have the confidence to actually tell them what I think and damn the consequences. It does tend to put them off guard when their pets start getting all uppity on them.
It’s also a good that doing things this way doesn’t jeopardise any future employment opportunities since I’m as far up the ladder as I want (or need) to be without getting a nose bleed.
Can’t picture you in a suit though…
Hey buddy! I know what you mean. At work I am completely different than I am out of work. I am even different with certain children, the parents and then certain staff, I can talk in about 6 different discourses in the one day and almost feel normal about it…I might just have a few new personalities rattling around in my head.
The best thing I found was I got my staff-mates out to the pub and showed them how I really dressed, how I really drank, how I really danced and how I really dominated karaoke. Good thing was, they loved it. Thought it was a great laugh and now I get heaps of them out to the pub.
Sometimes you need a separation, it is good for the spirit, but I find certain people, not many thought mind you, and I let the inner geek out. They know about my writing and the big nights out with the women and what have you.
But if one school person finds my myspace page I might just be in trouble…heh.