Don’t be an ‘Uncle.’

The unaspiring guy sitting next to you

Every once in awhile, you come across a guy I call an ‘Uncle’ respectfully. In India, at least, you can call any elderly figure an uncle. No, seriously, I am not joking. But I have a slightly different definition for the term. The person I refer to as uncle dwells in your office, start-up space, or any corporate environment. There is not one trait to this person, there are many, and they keep increasing. Here are some of them that I have come across.

Money Monger

This person has just one motivational factor in life — ‘money’ and ‘more money.’ No matter how much more he gets, he wants more. He’ll always compare his paycheck with that of his friends and despair.

Although having a want to earn more is fine, in fact, it’s good. We all want to pay our bills and live life king size, and for that, we need more and more money. I get that. I have nothing against it. But this person doesn't want to improve himself either; he doesn't want to increase his skill-sets; he doesn't want to adapt and rise above others. Because he knows what to do all that, he has to quit his current lifestyle for at least some weekends, become a nerd, a bookworm, or just spend his time studying. He doesn't want to spend time improving — because he wants to enjoy his life as he clearly understands that you get one life, which is to enjoy (as if he is the only one who has figured it out).

One other thing that I have noticed repeatedly, which is also related to money, is that the uncle thinks he is not motivated enough to work because he is paid less while the company he works for earns more off his work.

True! The company earns more than you get, but they have to pay many people and a lot more bills than you can imagine. So please don’t give this excuse for not being motivated enough. A person can be hugely motivated even though he is paid nothing.

Less work, more money

It’s not like he doesn't want to improve, he wants to, but he doesn't want to spend time on it over weekends or after work on weekdays. Above all, he wants companies/start-ups to keep paying more and more with his limited and still-water skill set. Maybe a 50% hike every year or 6 months is what is desired.

Relaxed Office Environment

He wants to enjoy a relaxed and laid back office environment but not the paycheck that comes with it. I have seen plenty of uncles who works or wants to keep working in a start-up environment but seriously envy the people who get to enjoy a relaxed office environment example, steady pay, fixed work timing, pension after retirement (no matter what), no or very less work during the daytime, long evening and lunch breaks, absolutely no pressure deadlines and no disturbing phone calls or emails on the weekends. I don’t understand why they want to work in a start-up? Why?

A Satisfied Guy

This person might be a delighted guy; he is satisfied with his lifestyle, skill-sets, job, and whatever he has achieved and doesn't want to experiment with anything. He fears that if anything changes in his life even slightly, his life would become a rumbling roller-coaster life. Satisfaction is fine; at some age, you are allowed to become satisfied. Just don’t criticize others who are enthusiastic and less satisfied than you are.

Urge to Learn < Zero

This person becomes very comfortable and ‘satisfied’ whenever he gets a new job. As soon he joins a new company, he throws his books aside and starts enjoying his life again until he wants to move to the next company again. As soon as he wants to switch, he starts studying whatever he can, brushing the basics, finding interview questions online, and everything else you can think of. Just so that he crosses that certain interview (get that fat paycheck) and get comfortable again.

It’s Impossible

Anything that escapes minutely out of his comfort zone deserves a NO. This person will never lose an opportunity to say no. As soon as a problem or task is given to him, he calculates in his mind that solving this problem is too hard or too much work, and their response is a straight NO. He won’t even spend 5 minutes to let the problem sink in.

You’re so wrong; you don’t know yet.

This person will never agree with you, even if you are Albert Einstein. This person has his own thoughts, ideologies, and beliefs, and he doesn’t want to sacrifice any of them even if you present them with the facts. They won’t listen, and in the end, they break the conversation saying — “You do what you want to do, and I’ll do what I want to do.”

Side Projects? What?

They’ll never spend time on a side project even if they would love to do it and put it on their CV. They are not comfortable working on anything after work. They just can’t or don’t want to do it because they are very busy with their social lives, booze, or maybe movies.

I don’t understand these kinds of people. I have seen people aged 62 years and more but are not the uncle types. They are fast, competitive, ambitious, and full of energy. I personally get inspired when I meet people who are ambitious and competitive. On the other hand, I often shrink away from satisfied people (and feel that workaholics are just wasting their lives), who only talk about minting more money and are jealous of people who have become someone big.

In short, Uncle is just an uninspiring figure in your life. We have all met this guy. If you’re this ‘Uncle’ I just wrote about, then I urge you to please change yourself. As soon as possible, CHANGE.