The Balance of Security

I’ve been working two fulltime jobs for 3 and a half years now. Both jobs view me as a very reliable person who does his job. And, apart from the occasional hookie, that view is accurate. But I’ve noticed a pattern of behavior that started at the beginning of this year that I must quickly correct before it gets out of hand.

Security jobs are fairly simple, but the trick is knowing when to take things seriously and when not to. Some of the jobs are so lax that people get fired for sleeping, like the bank job. Just about everyone that got fired from that job was due to sleeping on the job or being excessively late. At the shipping depot, the job is sometimes too much to handle for an average guard because there’s actual work involved. Most people get fired or quit from there because they felt it’s too much work for a security position.  For 3½ years I’ve kept the balance at both full-time jobs, but I've noticed a slacking. At the bank job, I would take things too seriously. I’d write up cars for being parked in two spaces almost every day, and seeing a car parked illegally would actually make me angry. At the depot, I’ve been letting employees get away with stuff, like driving in with their personal vehicles and not signing certain people in because I “know” them. I’m doing too much at one job, and not enough at another. If there was ever a time to not screw up at either job, it’s now.

At the bank job parking garage, I’ll limit myself to writing three tickets a month. Any extra ticket writings will only happen when it’s something too obvious to ignore. Those tickets mean absolutely nothing, so I don’t need to stress myself out about it. At the depot, I must stick to the rules. If anyone has a problem with it, tell them to talk to their bosses. One thing I’ve noticed (by using the “My Fault” philosophy) was how I invite conversation in my greeting. Someone comes in and says “Hi, how are you?” and I say “Fine, and you?” By asking them how they are, it sometimes starts a rambling session where they air out their problems of the day, like I give a damn. So from now on, when someone asks how I am, I have to say “Fine, thanks.” Some will ignore it and start babbling about their day regardless, but it shouldn’t be as much as it is now.

I gotta stick to doing my job and stop making things personal. That’s the key. I’ve got two years left at these crappy jobs, and I’ve gotta stay focused on what’s most important. The jobs are a means to an end, nothing less and nothing more.

P.S.: This part has almost nothing to do with real estate, but I feel I need to document it here. Last night I had the most violent of all my nightmares. For obvious reasons I don’t wanna put it into detail and be reminded of it every single time I read this thing. Besides, I’m very sure I won’t forget it as long as I live. The nightmare only confirmed that I really need to retire soon. There are way too many people around me and I don’t want things to get beyond my personal control.