Nothing replaces face-to-face interactions.

I recently moved to Kansas City to work for DST Systems as a Software Developer. Its offices are located in downtown Kansas City and as a courtesy, I was provided with housing for my first two months in Kansas City. I created a list of apartments in the downtown area, investigated and toured each one, and eventually narrowed my search down to two apartments within walking distance of my office building. This anecdote relates to one particular apartment that I had toured. I walked into the leasing agent's office about two weeks ago, asked him if they had one-bedrooms or studios available, and he called his manager in back to inquire about the vacancy. I spoke with the building manager - let's call him Harry - and he told me to escort myself up the elevator and review the apartment. I liked his hands-off approach and toured the apartment. After I finished checking it out, I went down to the office, called his phone and told him I wanted to speak to him about my interest in the apartment. He said to fill out an application - which had a $40 fee posted at the top - and he would get back to me. I decided to sleep on it and recently, two weeks later, I wanted to look at the apartment again. I walked into the leasing office again, spoke to the office again downstairs, and this time, Harry was sitting down in the lobby eating his lunch at a table. He differentiated himself from his front office associate quite easily by his suit and tie, and I sat down and asked him about the apartment - he didn't remember me from our phone call from two weeks ago. I asked him about the rent, some odd things about the apartment, and parking. This time, I asked him if he would lower the rent in exchange for a longer lease duration, and he told me that he would rather do a month-by-month lease as opposed to a standard year-long agreement. He advised me that the parking was free - something I hadn't known my first time in, and that he would be happy to waive the application fee. I walked out satisfied, and Harry got a new tenant. These arrangements wouldn't have been possible if I had just spoken to him on the phone again. Get out the house. Get off the phone. Look someone in the eye. You're more likely to influence them and communicate easier that way. You got up out of your chair. Clearly what you have to say is more important than an invisible face over the phone.

"With great power comes great responsibility."

We are a generation of amazing power. I’ve heard this phrase so much lately. And used it to empower myself as I get into the working world and try to avoid becoming just another drone in a factory working for “the man.” But really - how often do you hear that? Steve Jobs said it - and did it with the iPhone after dropping acid. Bill Gates, a college dropout, created one of the once-greatest (yeah, I said it) organizations of all time. And just to dip out of the technical sphere, Gandhi led a movement of peace and solidarity.

Generations later, we have tools at our disposal that past revolutionaries (buzz word alert) didn’t have. We have the internet. Namely - Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine ... They say (pundits, analysts, Boomers) that we are a generation that likes to share. They say we are a generation that documents our lives, and I bet the folks at Google Glass would kill to have every individual vlog his or her life and upload it to the cloud for analysis - yeah, that’s the paranoid way of looking at it, but imagine what power you have.

You can reach and connect with others in an instant. If you are interesting, entertaining, or motivating enough, you can touch hearts. Look at Karmin Covers - she and her fiancé went from singing on YouTube to the Ellen show to my elliptical at the gym! And she’s got pipes! And talent! What’s your talent? What are you passionate about - whether it be singing, dancing, politics, technology, business, poverty, public affairs...? The list goes on and on. And it’s hard to find passion, yes.

It takes a lot of energy to get out of bed in the morning. Yeah, that bed is really cozy. It takes a lot of energy to slog away every day trying to do something, as you’re told to do it. But I’d like to issue a challenge to you, as I have issued to myself. Find one thing that you want to do every day and do it. Little by little, do something. Whether it be digital or not, do that thing and make sure that its outcome benefits humanity. It can be art, music, math, or even basket weaving. Do something beautiful that you can show others and look back upon proudly.

I think that’s what we’re here for, and that’s why we were given so much more informational power than generations before us. I encourage you to use it without regard for the consequences - like a child. I encourage you to bound forward even on the days when your legs are tired and maybe even jump once - because jumping once is better than not jumping at all.

I’m writing this post because I believe the world is a really screwed up place, and as I get older, I see more bad things than good things. I don’t know if that’s cynicism taking root (it’s not) or if I’m just looking for something to become deeply passionate about (I am). I express this through code and leadership. How do you?

Never put the punchline in the title

I used to work at Chuck E. Cheese. The summer before my freshman year of college, I needed money and to get outside of my head from dorm life, so I worked there. For a month. One of the things that made me quit was the salad bar.

As a cashier, I had to clean, port and drain the bar every night if I closed. One night, it was extra-clogged. And I stayed at work for maybe an hour and a half longer than I wanted to. I went back to the dorms that night, went to the convenience store next to my dorm, and my hair messed up and shirt disheveled and stained, I planned to buy two energy drinks - in and out. The girl behind the counter - a cute blonde, maybe a senior - asked me suspiciously, “How are you doing tonight?” Knowing my hips couldn’t lie, I flatly replied: “Shitty.” She busted up laughing and it made me smile. She thanked me for my honesty and I walked out of that convenience store, went back to my room and played GTA San Andreas until the sun came up. That was maybe July 2006. Every month since then, I’ve been to other stores. Subway was one I frequented, as it was embedded in the back of that same market.

I consider myself to be a very polite person, which is a trait I adopted from my friend Ben. He’s always been exceptionally polite. “Pickles, please. And lettuce please. And just a little bit of mayo too, please.” I picked up on this habit from him because the ladies behind the counter were always so goddamned nice to him as they handed over their sandwich art with his receipt. I wasn’t a fan of saying please so much, but I would throw it in every now and again. “And a little bit of chipotle mayo ... please. Thanks.” And just to make sure they knew I was putting in that effort to be super polite, I’d raise my inflection a bit, like I was talking to my academic adviser after making my schedule - “Thank you!” Yeah, I used that same tone with her too. She never seemed to like it, and I never really got why.

It was only a few months ago that I finally realized why these people never laughed at my politeness but why that girl at the market that random night was so amused by my genuine misery. ...Because it was genuine. I don’t give a crap if you flop lettuce on my bread - just cut it well so the bread doesn’t tear. That’s the thing I like. I know I walked in here with my schedule and all you did was authorize it. A four-year-old could do that job (kids are getting progressively more adept with technology at younger ages!), but my adviser was my adviser because she provided me with the counsel I needed when I was dead-exhausted halfway through my senior year. I appreciated that greatly, and I still remember her confused smile when I thanked her for her encouragement.

Through these sandwiches, energy drinks and schedules, I learned a key lesson that seems to be a rallying cry within the business world: Be your authentic self. It’s more fun that way.