Boomer Wisdom: The Doers, The Gonna Dos and The You Should Do People

There is a blizzard going on where I live right at this moment.  Highways have been shut down. The National Guard has been called out.  The American Red Cross have set up Emergency Stations.  The  blizzard has given me some think time.  I have been thinking about people and have narrowed my thoughts to three different types of people.  There are the Doers, the Gonna Dos and the You Should Do folks.

The doers seem to always be busy.  They work hard at getting things done and take pride in their accomplishments.  Some work fast paced jobs which require quick thinking, a sound mind and spirit.  They belong to different organizations and volunteer a lot of their time toward civic and community services.  Their homes usually are very organized.  They  live healthy life styles.  Some  participate in sports events or exercise at the gym.  A doer likes to learn and can be found researching new ways to do things by putting their knowledge into action.  When a crisis hits the doer is right there to take an active part in what ever needs to be done.

Unlike the Doer, the Gonna Do appears to have a lot on his or her plate.  Some lack organizational skills while others just plain procrastinate.  They make a lot of false promises and have a problem with commitment.  It appears they have good intentions but spend more time dreaming than doing.  You can find a Gonna Do looking at a project that someone else completed and saying, “I was gonna Do that.”  When a crisis takes place the Gonna Do jumps to the end of the line and waits for someone else to do.  After the situation is over the Gonna Do does not get much credit for a job well done because he or she never got started.

Then there are those well known You Should Do people.  They always think that their way is the only way and are more than willing to tell you how you should do.  They come across a little bossy and have difficulty seeing your life as being different to theirs.  Even though they might be good people they can really get on a person’s last nerve.  Don’t even bother to argue or prove a point with a You should Do person because it is just a lost cause.  In a crisis the You Should Do people need to just hush and take a seat somewhere.

We will have and have always had these three types of people so here is my suggestion on how to keep things flowing productively with a mix of these folks.

1. Let the Should Do People do their thing independently and allow them to take care of their own little world.  They will make accomplishments but keep your distance so that you can create things on your own too.
2. Now for the Gonna Dos you need to practice a little patience and tolerance.  It might even be helpful to just hand them something and tell them to get started.  Sometimes they just need a little push.
3. Always count your blessings and be grateful for the Doers.  You might want to join up with them and have a little fun.  Then again maybe you are in a place that you can just sit back, rest, relax and allow them to do.

Just remember folks, no matter what, there are always going to be different kinds of people.  As a matter of fact each type has something to teach us.  By observing these folks we can decide just what kind of a person that we want to be or even maybe we might just want to be a little of all three.

Originally posted 2011-02-02 17:49:47.