At most workplaces people think outside of the box to get their ideas into action. This is especially true with companies that have a growing web department. Not only that, most web developers have a d.I.Y ethic that reaches across all media platforms, and there’s a learning curve that others do not seem to get. When you speak to a web guy, he’ll tell you about more social networking than just myspace. He’ll tell you about linkedin,friendster,goodreads,twitter,yuwie, and many other sites. These sites offer immense free advertising if you’re trying to promote a company that sells a certain thing.

However, my company thinks inside the box. Whatever the “ordinary” is in the world of basic advertising, that’s what is done. When new ideas are presented, you would think that the roof was going to cave in and the world was going to end. It’s not so, but it appears that my ideas, and the ideas of the emerging culture around me is reaching for the heavens, meanwhile our company is picking their noses.

No one is perfect. No is above the law. No one is so secure in life that they won’t get fired. I try to remind myself that some people are at that level, but I try to not think that way. I once thought this way when I was working at a major corporation, and pulling more work than any of my coworkers, and when the chips were down I was fired without question.

Now that I’m in a smaller company (again) I realize that I am very replaceable. But for whatever reasons, those that don’t think outside of the box are not. They are cornerstones to our companies infrastructure, and if they don’t leave on their own, they just stagnate and stink up the place. Like a dead fish inside a home, outside of the ice box there is a stench of negativity that spoils the rest of the room.

Proximity aside, the inside the box thinking can only get you so far. There is no progress, and there is no major leaps ahead…there is only the dead sea. A dead sea of unlearning, because nothing goes forward, and everyone is left holding the bag.

But inside the box thinking has gotten the company this far, so why try to shake things up?

I check the job ads and I don’t see anything worthwhile.

I am miserable at work sometimes. I don’t want to be the one waiting for someone to arrive on time and open the gates. I don’t like being the voice of reason. I don’t like being the only optimist. I don’t like seeming like a teacher’s pet. I don’t like frontin.

I’m 24 years old and I am having a crisis at times. I try not to think about it. I feel that I’ve hit the ceiling, and it’s a bad feeling.

I need a voice of reason and no one is around…still. I’m 16 years old inside still, only now I’m married and am a martyr for my own dreams, because I die to myself instead of jumping off the boat and swimming to my dreamworld.

I did that once. It was fun for a time, but it caught up with me and I ended up nearly dead.