Nottles

I turned in a job application today. I filled it out on the computer and then I said, "Hey! I'm gonna make the extra effort! I'm not just going to email this thing. I'm not going to fling it out into cyberspace and hope it doesn't get buried under a pile of digital junk in some anonymous inbox. "

"I'm gonna print out this application and take it straight to the Human Resources office. I'm going to give this to a PERSON. A real-life human-being with dignity and a job. I'm going to make an interaction-action happen today!"

The office was about four miles away. I could bike there mostly on a bike path, which was nice. And I decided I wanted to look somewhat presentable. Not like I'm ready for a job interview or anything, just a button-up shirt and some nice-ish jeans. It never hurts to trick yourself into believing you're making an effort.

Turns out it was a lot hotter than I expected! And I was so excited I exerted a lot more effort than was necessary.

What happened was my back, which was denied ventilation by the backpack I was wearing, became completely soaked, drenched with sweat. My legs were cooking in my jeans like two tubes of processed pork. I was sweating through everything. I was red in the face. My hair was a mess.

So instead of looking like a respectable young man seeking gainful employment, I looked like a guy that had just wandered out of the woods (and the office was directly adjacent to woods), sweating through his clothes, wide-eyed and exhausted, yet had somehow managed to find a word processor.

"HERE'S THE PAPERS, WHERE'S MY JOB?!"

But I didn't do that. I talked to the very nice lady at the desk, I asked questions and smiled.

And later I was thinking about the idea of "learned industriousness"

It's the most optimistic idea I've learned in psychology so far.

Most things you learn about in psychology are like, "We've found that pigeons would rather peck other pigeons to death than give up old behaviors that used to provide food. Also, everyone is racist."

Learned Industriousness is something psychologists have found that basically proves hard work is its own reward. If you work hard at something, and then get rewarded after. You will come to associate hard work with feeling good. And then you will work hard just because you like working hard.

And maybe that's what I showed today, with my sweaty breathlessness.

If this guy works this hard biking here with this 30-year-old bike just to turn in his application, he must be willing to do anything with vigor! Somebody get him a towel and a W-2!

I'm also just a pretty sweaty person in general...