“Awww man! I missed the first two weeks of Spring Training because I was in Tent City for a DUI.” a co-worker of mine lamented one evening last week…”at least when I was in federal prison there were showers with a curtain and three square meals!”
I thought that was almost as good as the quote last year when I overheard a stoned dancer mumbling as she fiddled with her locker combination, “Lockers, lockers, I hate f-in lockers….I was locked up in one for three years ya know…”
I first wrote about Seeking out Your Environment last May. Old colloquialisms like, “Birds of a feather, flock together” come to mind. Don’t misconstrue that I think all strippers are ex-cons. I simply give this advice to all impressionable newbie strippers: Be careful who you spend your time with, for you will inevitably start to think and act just like them.
Whenever I am in an environment that is NOT going to help me grow I do one of two things: seek a different one, or if that is not possible I try to positively influence someone who is also in that environment. In the case of the strip club, I can’t leave it: but I always try to motivate a JobStripper or SupplementalStripper who wants more for herself.
I can only do so much during the random slow periods of the typical strip club shift. The environment she chooses to put herself in during her free and investible time can easily undo the 10-20 minute motivational guidance I can offer.
When I was a teacher we said the same thing about troubled students: we only have them 6 hours a day for one year….their home environment is much more of an influence than we can ever be.