Somehow, early on in my adult life, I earned a reputation as a strong young man. I've heard it so many times in the past 20 years: "You look like a strong young man."
If you were to take a look at me — I mean a real good look at me — you would not mistake me for a "strong young man." I am, by any reasonable measure, not a strong young man. Perhaps I'm a stringy young man, but not a strong young man.
I've had a gym membership for three years and have yet to lift weights. I always use the elliptical machine or bicycle so that I can simultaneously watch sports on the built-in monitor and "Bachelor" reruns on my phone. That's my level of strength.
And yet some people say I'm a strong young man. They usually don't say this to pay me a compliment. They say this because they need some sort of favor.
As an example, a few years ago I was boarding an airplane and an older woman needed a hand with placing her carry-on bag in the overhead compartment. She turned to me and said, "You look like a strong young man. Would you be able to help me?" I replied, only half-jokingly, "Oh, I'm not a strong young man, but sure I can help." She laughed as I grabbed the handle of the bag — it must have weighed 35 pounds, at least — struggled to lift it over my head, and slid it into the overhead, beads of sweat forming on my face.
My arms hadn't shaken that much since the time in high school gym class I was forced to attempt pull-ups for the Physical Fitness Test and I just hung there for 10 seconds before letting go. I was sore for the entire four-hour flight.
Had I known I would be asked to place a carry-on bag in the overhead, I would've lifted some weights at the gym.
As challenging as it was to lift that bag over my head, it didn't compare to all those times I had to change the plastic jug of water at the water cooler at my old office. I sat no more than six feet from the water cooler, and inevitably the water would run out and the jug would need to be replaced. I avoided this responsibility for the longest time because I had visions of dropping the replacement jug on my foot, or spilling five gallons of water on the floor, or both.
Basically, I thought this would happen:
via GIPHY
Eventually I rose up to the challenge, partly because I'm a team player, partly because I was very thirsty, and partly because I was pushed into doing it. I swear the jug weighed more than I did. I uncapped a new jug and wrapped my arms around it, giving it a great big bear hug as if we were two close friends who had been separated for years and had finally been reunited. I waddled over to the water cooler and, against all odds, managed to install the jug with minimum spillage. I went on to replace the jug several more times later on, too.
I consider this one of the most notable accomplishments of my career. I'm considering giving a TED Talk around it on the theme of overcoming adversity in the workplace.
But just so we're all on the same page: I'm not really a strong young man. I might not be your best option if you need a carry-on bag placed in an overhead compartment or a water jug replaced on a water cooler. Or if you need someone to do a pull-up.
