A fine artist I am a fan of recently tweeted the following:

Just heard stress described as when a demand for change or adaptation is upon us and we lack the creative energy needed 2 rise 2 the demand. (@MetalwingDotCom)

It got me to thinking about whether this applied to the recent stressors in my life and I concluded that the tweet was poignant. Things that cause me stress generally require a high-level of creative energy or motivation and the idea of stepping up and tackling the obstacle is daunting.

A large majority of people can get by on a daily basis by going through the motions. For me, a regular work day doesn’t require adaptions or change. Somtimes I have meetings where I use a significant amount of brain power, but for the most part, I’m comfortable with what’s expected from me and confident in delivering what’s required. Great.

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Last week I traveled to Berlin, Germany for a 5-day work trip. It was my first visit to Europe and as such I had the idea to make notes on my observations. As I look over the notes on my iPhone it is mainly a list of cultural differences between the United States and Germany, but as the conference included interaction with co-workers and customers from European nations outside of Germany, I do have some reflections on more broad-reaching cultural differences.

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So as it turns out, I’m pretty good at getting jobs. I don’t mean to sound cocky here, but I’m operating at a pretty high interview-to-landed-job ratio. Disclaimer: I am not particularly good looking, don’t have “ins” with people in hiring positions nor do I apply for jobs I am wildly over-qualified for.

I have a reasonably high level of confidence when applying for jobs and interviewing. I attribute this to having a firm grasp on reality. I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know. I set out to land jobs and projects I know I can deliver on. I do this to avoid being fired and also because I prefer a live a low stress life. This leads me into my first point of becoming an awesome job-getter:

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Antonio Ballatore, host of HGTV’s The Antonio Treatment does badass remodels of everyday homes. His style is very textural, industrial and creative. I like that he chooses comfortable furniture that you’d actually want to live in. He also has pretty great taste in artwork and color schemes. My lady records his show for me every week and I’m always inspired by his work.

Here are a couple before/after shots: