Embracing "me"...

Or, embracing my "hot-headedness". I've decided it's time I do. For years I have known about it (big duh, I know...) A few years ago, I actually got nicknamed the "hothead". And in case you care or wonder, yes, I do fight it and try to suppress it. But it's like a valve. You can try to stop the steam from coming out, but eventually it will!

So, in addition to fighting it, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to embrace it. Hello world! I am Lara, and I am a hothead. 

Moreover, I think I could start a little club where hotheads are welcome, admired, and praised. And while we are at it, maybe we will have a bit of a behavioral chat to see how we can best maximize the power of the hothead and start turning the inevitable perception: hothead=trouble-maker. 

I totally admire the people who can keep a poker face and a shut mouth. I, for the most part, am incapable of both of those at the same time. Some times I manage to keep my mouth shut, but I can guarantee you the steam will come out from my ears, thus defeating any effort at looking collected, and barely making it as "contained". 

I am a passionate person. As such, I share my ideas passionately. Probably something to do with the Latin blood that runs through my veins... Passionately sharing things is not always a plus, especially if you live in California, where everything has to be sugar-coated for general consumption. Thus, the reputation of the hothead is born, enhanced, and kept very much alive.

On the other hand, I hate lies, and some days I just hate politics. (No, I don't work for the government, but after several years in the higher-education environment, I feel pretty certain I could navigate governmental politics quite successfully). And I hate the fact that people walk into a room, stare at the huge white elephant in the center of it, and manage somehow to ignore it. If there is a problem, let's face it and solve it!!

And that is where the hothead (or at least this one) is cruelly misunderstood: we're not here to stir trouble, but we very much will point it out in order to solve it. And we don't want to sugar-coat, because it's a waste of time, energy, and effort, and a lot more saliva than I like to use in a matter-of-fact conversation. 

Finally, I much rather be a hothead for life, than turn into a bobble-head - you know, those people who sit in the first couple of rows to suck up to the dictator they have for a boss, and who nod incessantly with every lie, every false promise, every creative interpretation of the facts.