Well, here I am, another spot I hadn’t figured I would be in. I recently changed jobs and was encouraged by my wife to grow a bit of facial hair. All but two years of my life since the military I have worked in environments with strict facial hair rules to adhere to. The new position doesn’t come with a new awesome policy either. But after a week off in between jobs I had the ability to grow a very respectable post 5 o’clock shadow. Anna (my wife) implanted the idea that maybe, just maybe I could pull off some sort “in regs” facial hair. Well, I am happy to report, she was right. This thing is sweet. I look in the mirror and see an absolute stallion of a stache. Only time will tell if it sticks around or not but it got me thinking a bit.

A study that I had heard of, maybe 12 years ago or so, reported on why it found so many military members were heavily tattooed. I certainly don’t have the name of the specific study, and it was surely something I had looked up and quickly forgotten about until now. So, take the information as you will, but it makes sense to me. The study indicated that most sought tattoos because they were the only way to express individuality while in uniform. Day in and day out, you are surrounded by the same people, wearing the same clothes, and doing the same thing as you. Most of us aren’t (or at least I wasn’t) “smooth” enough to stand out by personality, talent, smarts (insert good quality) alone. While I certainly have my share of tattoos and am a proud new owner of a mustache Hulk Hogan would admire, I want to challenge this idea that I know I have fallen into before.

Each one of us brings a toolbox with us wherever we go. Inside the toolbox are the tools that make us, well, us. Some people have bigger toolboxes and more tools than others. But I would predict a smaller one was traded in after it had been filled up with different life experiences (positive or negative). We should utilize the tools at our disposal to build ourselves and those around us. It’s not the stickers you put on the toolbox that do the work or provide the space inside. Might get you a cool high five now and again though. I specifically like the idea of focusing on building ourselves. It is constant daunting work, but I think the most important. I also think that by working on ourselves we are better equipped to help those near us.

Think of it like this: a new handyman started his business fixing front doors for the sweet old ladies in his neighborhood.  It was steady work, but he wanted to do more and grow his business. He decided that he wanted the ability to replace windows for his customers. All the grandchildren in the area were absolute studs when hitting foul balls. The handyman knew his toolbox wasn’t equipped for window replacement. He was determined, so the handyman worked extra and saved the money for the new tools. He had finally saved enough money, so he went to the hardware store. He got home and laid out his new shiny set of tools. Then it dawned on him. He didn’t have a place to store them or get them efficiently inside the home to complete his work. Diligently back to the grind he went until he had finally saved up enough money for the toolbox. Finally! He could apply his window-replacing knowledge with the proper tools and toolbox.

I think there are multiple things to unpack in the handyman story, but here is my specific point. The handyman started somewhere, just like everyone else. His toolbox was good enough for where he started but it needed (and he wanted it) to grow. He had to work at it, like we must work on ourselves. We can work hard to improve ourselves and increase the number of tools we own. But what makes the task daunting is the realization that we can’t stop there. If we know how to use the tool, one we may even already own, it’s no good to us until we improve the toolbox so we can take it everywhere we go. It’s hard work. Don’t quit on you, build you.

Whether it’s a mustache, tattoos, new car, whatever. Don’t let it fool you, these things are not doing the work on you, for you. If they make you stand out, it’s only for a moment. The work you put into yourself, can last for a lifetime. Just remember, stickers won’t make the tools fit.

It’s not perfect, it’s just a ramble.