You've probably heard about your "dash," right? You know, How's your dash going? Well, your dash represents the mark on your tombstone that separates your date of birth from your date of death. In other words, it represents your life, the part during your existence in which you lived on the earth.



I have always found the "dash" reference to be a bit monotone and sedentary. It just doesn't suggest life to me or all the events: crazy, sullen, happy, or sad, that occur during one's life. And as Recruiters or HR Professionals, we sometimes, tend to concentrate on someone else's dash more than our own. At least that is how it is with me. Not Dan Nuroo - Dan, himself, has already stated that it is all about Dan - I just wanted to be clear.

For me, when I hear "how's your dash?" I think of a different dash..., I think of the white dashes or lane lines in the road that speed past me as I am driving or racing from one destination to another. They can be counted and measured. They delineate me from others. They keep me in my lane and guide me down the road. Sometimes, that road can get twisty and steep but those dashes keep me in place, and yet they are always moving - not like the dash on a tombstone.

Your dash should not be inactive. Or even desk-bound, with your face buried in a computer and your hand fervently moving a mouse. Anyone remember the opening scene of Joe Vs. the Volcano? It depicts gray people in a gray world walking to their offices with no windows and horrible lighting trapped in a work life from hell. A life that a friend of mine would call "the Black Hole of Doom."

So put your virtual handshake in your drawer every once in a while, walk away from your desk, meet a client or candidate at a Starbucks, take your shoes off and walk in the grass, listen to something other than your tweetdeck pinging, take in a breath of fresh air and exhale slowly. The dashes don't have to pass so quickly - only if you let them.

Don't be just another white dash...

by rayannethorn