Would I Be Happy As A Taxi Driver? Would You?

Why do some people look like they actually enjoy going to work each day or are unfazed when their having a bad day?

Here's a story I heard from a friend in Hong Kong.

There were two taxi drivers working in New York City. Both were in their early thirties.

One of the drivers was driving a passenger along New York's stately Park Avenue. As he was driving, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow passed his taxi and made the red light. As the taxi driver waited for the light to turn green, he hollered into the back of his taxi to his passenger "Who the hell does that Rolls think he is? I'm sure he robbed someone to get that car!"

A few hundred meters down that same Park Avenue, the second taxi driver was parked illegally at a fire hydrant and buying one of New York's famous street hot dogs for a dollar, a much sought after treat in the Big Apple if you can find the peddler.

As the same Rolls drove by, this second driver shouted to the strangers around him, "Look at that Rolls! It's beautiful! I'm going to get one of those for myself someday!" The people around him just shrugged and kept on walking.

What's the difference between the two taxi drivers?

Well, bluntly speaking, one had a negative attitude and one had a positive attitude. It's as simple as that.......a good attitude versus a bad attitude.

Each day I meet all kinds of people. What I look for first in them is their attitude. Are they positive or negative people?

It usually take a few days to identify the negative ones as their protective skins melt away. They are usually the ones who are the first to say, "we can't do that," "that's impossible," "why try?" or "I don't think it will work."

The positive ones are the team players, solution makers and the ones to keep around.

So, to answer the question posed in the title, "would I be happy as a taxi driver?"

My answer is "yes."

But, the real question is, "would you be happy as a taxi driver?"

Editor's Note: Landy is speaking from some experience. During Landy's school days at New York University, he drove a yellow taxi for several months and one entire summer. Landy got to know most of his passengers well enough to have them call him by his first name before leaving the taxi. One airline attendant would actually request the dispatcher to send Landy to pick her up in Manhattan for her trips to Kennedy Airport. She would pay for the extras.

WE'RE ALL IDOLS! aka DON'T GET A JOB, GET A DREAM!

If you're anything like the one hundred million people who watch one of the many versions of American Idol, you're closer to understanding life.

Am I getting philosophical? No, I'm getting practical!

I believe in dreams. I've always believed in dreams. And, I believe in people with dreams.

Why are the thousands of people who auditioned for Idol like you? Well, for this simple reason: they took a risk......and, the finalists were going after their dream.

When was the last time you took a risk on a dream?

My Own Dream

I lived in a middle class suburban neighborhood in New York. From my home, I could look slightly west and see the Empire State Building. It became the symbol of my own dream for each of my 17 school years.

My dream was to live in the Big Apple. I dreamed of traveling the globe. I dreamed of meeting new people in new countries and making a positive impact on the world. I dreamed of making my mark on the world.

My father contributed to this dream in his own way. A seafaring man who ended his sea days as a cruise ship photographer, he talked about exotic ports and different cultures. He even married my mother a Cantonese-French gal from Brazil. And, I remember vividly his story of eating steak and drinking wine with the Argentine longshoremen on the Buenos Aires docks!

My dream became my single minded way of running my life. This dream dictated the movies I saw, the books I read and the things I taught myself. I was determined to pursue it.

One month after graduation, with my second paycheck from Citibank, I moved into The City on Park Avenue two blocks away from the Empire State Building. I'm still paying the price for this act with the loss of love from my younger brother who felt that I had abandoned the family.

One year later, I convinced the head of the international division at the bank to send me permanently abroad. After a nice bon voyage party with 100 family & friends, I was on my way. First stop, Nassau, Bahamas. Three continents, 30 cities and more than a thousand people later, I'm still pursuing my dream.

The story doesn't end there.

While still in New York, a friend and colleague, Norma, at Citibank, asked me to talk to her friend, Bikkit Tam, a processing clerk in the operations area. There was no reason given. No agenda. Norma just wanted me to talk to Bikkit.

Bikkit was from a modest background. I think she was born in Hong Kong. She may have been 2 years older than me. She spoke enough English to be understood, but not enough English to get ahead in a competitive environment. She was quiet and demure or what I would call a "typical Asian woman" profile.

I told Bikkit stories. Stories which I'm now sharing with you on my blog. I told her where I came from. How I convinced my interviewer to give me my first job. How I believed that anyone could do what I did.

I lost contact with Bikkit for several years. But, one day while I was living in Asia, she made contact with me. As her story goes, she managed to get her college degree and her MBA at night. She moved to Boston where she held a job in a bank as a manager which she liked. She eventually married. She was happy and felt that she was still pursuing her dream.

I thought to myself, "maybe Bikkit had already achieved it." I was proud of her.

So, what's my message? The message is you. Don't get a job.....get a dream. Even better, find a cause......join a cause.....set a bigger goal. Dream. And, believe in yourself!


Landy's Note: I refuse to let this be the end of the story. I'd like to hear about your dream, too. If I can help, write me through this blog.