Matthew Curran’s thoughts and outlook

If I was creating an HR department from the ground up…..

-cost of living upgrades if necessary every year (full market adjustment)

-bonuses unless absolutely shit performance by individual or company

-legit pip’s focused on recovery or rebranding, job shift to meet better needs

-no meeting culture unless absolutely necessary

-recording allowed with caveats and rules

-knowledge share /team work focus

-growth mindset

-breadth not width

-STAY PRIVATE, but be ok with being acquired

-it’s ok to leave your baby to someone else if you feel it is in good hands 

-salary ranges with very clear performance and personal goals. 1 year plan to increase in salary range or to grow to next level. If you are growing, you will be paid.

Same goes with success

YES a combo of hardwork, skills, emotional intelligence, confidence, connections and luck! Dont think it leans any one direction. It goes in so many nuanced details. 

Why are my decision and thoughts evaluated under a microscope just because I got myself in situations where the law caught up with it, or I wasn’t given any grace for an addiction or mistakes. It’s not black and white, again. I can do something bad, but think the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Just like everyone has probably driven really fast for fun, or done something loosely illegal. Hell, most people have driven after a few beers, despite having every option to not drive. We are human, and we aren’t always rational, so don’t think that because I was ‘caught’ quote unquote that you are approaching or hiding your shortfalls any better than I am. I just got caught up in the system.

To diminish my 30 years of existence to 2 days of my life (maybe a few more, but two big catalyst days) is absurd, and I think most people would agree. No one is perfect, but everyone is striving for their perception of perfect, whatever that may be.

I’ll keep this one short because I want people to deduce their own opinions and conclusions. Yes, this seems socialist, and yes there are downsides. Ex; schools focusing on the worst students and making everyone fall down because of them, and not focusing on the need for a general education system that rewards most, but realizes some people learn differently, or need trade schools, or even additional psych help in an institution. It’s nuanced. Like everything.

Nothing made me more mad in college than when this asshat of a kid Matt Brown, said he would send his dad to jail under the principal of illegal business practices without caring that it’s his dad because we’ve built a structure in society that awards ‘normalcy’ and shits on any remotely free-thinking, or nuanced ideal.

I view it as being a humanitarian. Stop pulling the ladder up for everyone else for fear of over saturation. If a market gets over saturated, say with people now going to therapy, I can be mad that there aren’t enough resources for me now, but I can also view it as people starting to take even minor mental health seriously. Just because COVID caused a massive shift in mental health views, doesn’t mean they weren’t heavily present, just within the silent majority more so, until it hit that breaking point. The tipping point, really. 

The gap in our minds between our skills and luck that got us to a point are smaller than it is actually is. But we perceive it as more because of ourselves and how we handled it because we are so egotistical as humans. 

So I end with this. You can be mad at me, but don’t tell me my approach is wrong because it’s different. Don’t tell me you’re going to take my dog and 2 cats and put them in the pound if I fuck up. Your threats don’t want me to do anything about it. It builds resentment. 

I’m so exhausted. Blame me, sure. But I’ve been beaten and broken for so long and told that my approach to everything is so wrong, because it’s different? Fuck off with that asinine bullshit. 

You can hate me for being different, or wanting everyone to be on a level playing field, but that gives me every right to have mutual disdain for your complicitness in everything and our system. So, have your opinions on how I feel about the world, and I’ll maintain mine. I doubt you’ll change mine. If anything. I’m so hardheaded that you will just reinforce mine.

If the founding fathers or the Boston tea party said, hey let’s not fight for our inherent rights we deem the rights of every living man (with exceptions), then we’d be sipping tea and eating crumpets talking about how Man U is still shit, football is the best, and prince Andrew and the monarchy are definitely NOT a root cause of the issue. /s.

So I respectfully say fuck off, and let me figure it out. I’m smarter than I look. I give you the benefit of the doubt. Reciprocate it. Don’t pull the ladder up on me for my ‘mistakes’. I’ll get mine, and I’ll always hope you get yours too. My success isn’t mutually exclusive, and neither are my failures. Give that grace to everyone around you unless they absolutely have burned every bridge. Hell, maybe I have, but stop holding my hand over the flame and getting mad when I say it hurts.