Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There is something called the “hope nothing” meeting. In it, I hope nothing comes up that causes me pain, effort, and general angst. Hope nothing meetings are pleasant, but can be deadly.

I sit in meetings. People tell me things. Sometimes they tell me things that cause me work. Sometimes they tell me things that cause me grief. Sometimes they simply tell me more than I want to know.

“I hope nothing comes up in today’s meeting,” said me as I wearily sat at the table surrounded by persons with valuable information.

This is the “Hope Nothing Meeting.”

I won’t ask any questions. I will hope the others make simple statements. I will hope the others gloss over any difficulties. I will hope that I can walk out of the meeting on my merry way and not have to deal with unpleasantness.

I will be ignorant.

Hmmm. Ignorance is probably a bad state. These hope nothing meetings are bad for me and everyone else, too.

No one ever said this would be easy. Avoid the hope nothing meetings. Ask. Probe. Contribute. Expect. Act.