Rugby is HOT. There's Poet's Day wisdom in it. - Guest writer RB

You know that uptight HR lady at work?  She's me. Yep, that's right. (Well, she would be me if you don't know me.) So it might surprise you for me to tell you to be Rugby-hot at work.  Especially for a Poet. It's precisely how you earn that inspired cold beer after leaving it all on the field at the job all week. The beer just tastes better. The spirit is moved more euphorically. This is because you can thumb your nose at the boss man on a Friday night with the sole satisfaction of accomplishment and pride. Of being spent and seeking to refill. You made the work worthwhile while you were there.  Now it's your time. And the man can kiss your sweet arse until the sun rises on the proverbial Monday.

I know this in my soul. I learned it at my grandaddy's knee. He was the foreman of a backbreaking road paving crew.  I can recall how he smelled of asphalt and Zest soap as he put away pint on a Friday night. And how his sun tanned face glowed with satisfaction and peacefulness only earned through the yin of gut-hard work and the yang of relishing in it having been well done. My grandaddy was a true Poet. There is a spiritual balancing between hard work and Poeting.

Our world is soft. Everything is ergonomical, cushioned, air conditioned, politically correct.  Modernization makes it hard to achieve the nirvana of Poeting. Rugby has a lesson to teach us there.

I'm not much of a sports fan. In fact, I am a Poets Day fan really who just mostly appreciates the sport through the dedication of my pal, Master Roberts. But I know enough to know, Rugby is smokin' HOT.  It is physical. It is fierce. A bunch of muscled, sweating dudes passionately leaving it all on the field. (Even if they are playing what amounts to american football for dummies. It isn't a complicated game, people! I mean come on!  How easy can it be to toss a ball and chase other dudes between two end zones? Ah, I digress!) But this is my point: whether the work is hard or easy, interesting or boring, you can make it a sport for yourself. You can be smokin' Rugby-hot and earn your Poets Day state of nirvana. Here is how to be Rugby-hot:

(1) Get jacked - up! It's your work - CARE about it even if no one else does. That is sexy and satisfying. Trust me on this. A little internal hubris and pride is good for the soul. The most important person you have to prove yourself to, is you. All week long you should be earning the right to raise a pint to yourself for the bad-assery you brought to your work all week.

(2) Sweat for it.  Leave it all on the field. Even when the work is not physical, it will feel as though it is when you give it everything you've got.  That physicality is taxing and rewarding. Rest and relaxation feels sweeter after being well earned. It's good for your head too. When we give our all, we feel more confident. We generate more respect from others. That makes us feel more confident again in turn. Sweating for it, leaving it all on the field, creates a never ending cycle of goodness and self satisfaction.

(3) Wear a cute uniform. Whatever that means to you. For some, it's a bow tie. For others its a college fan shirt and flip flops. Let your outer self reflect who you are inside however you define that. Sports uniforms help a team form an identity.  It's intentional. It applies to individuals the same as it does teams.  When you are purposeful about your identity, you "sign up" and commit to that mission. And it builds immense confidence too. It's no urban myth that even a toothless, scabby, gent raises the hot factor donning a military or other uniform. (Ladies: How CUTE are those UPS guys in shorts, right?) Personally, I loathe corporate attire with a passion.  Most days I wear cowboy boots to the office.  I am all-in when I feel like who I am. So I am intentional about how I bring this out into the world.  It helps me to bring the best "me" to the fight.

(4.) Swear.  (What the hell you say?!!) Poole's diner in Raleigh has a wise sign posted above the bar. I have never forgotten it: "If you don't curse no one will be offended".  As a dirty-mouthed gal, it changed me. My manners are a little closer in public to what my momma was hoping for finally. But if you CARE, you SWEAR! My grandmother had one dirty word: $hit: If you heard it, there was going to be some fireworks even when it was spoken softly. Swearing is an art. Subject to the tastes, talents and preferences of the individual.  For some, "dang it' is enough to raise their blood pressure to the moon. Now, for our Mommas peace of mind, it does not have to be spoken out loud in order to be useful to you in your work. (And often we should not speak it out loud where we would offend others.) What is important is that swearing is aggressive. It not only indicates we are fired up, but it escalates our state of mind and makes us even more fired up. In the right crowd, where such language is acceptable, it gets others fired up too. But mostly for these purpose, we are talking about your inner voice. So in the midst of a fight, a challenge, a situation or on behalf of outcome you care about, you can channel your internal swearing and use an aggressive internal voice to fire yourself up about the issue. (Although noted: we should never swear at others or about them or otherwise cross the line to be abusive or unkind or disrespectful. Swearing should always be about your own passion about the matter at hand. Otherwise it isn't constructive for you or anyone else.)

True Poets understand the spirit behind Poet's Day: earning it. Rugby, for all the reasons that make the sport hot, has a few things to teach us about being hot at work all week and earning a more deeply satisfying Poet's Day.

[Editor added]

So work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration

Happy Poets Day