What Pumping in the Office Supply Closet Taught Me - The Muse

What Pumping in the Office Supply Closet Taught Me - The MuseWhat Pumping in the Office Supply Closet Taught Me My calendar alert dings, notifying me that my first appointment of the day, one Ive labeled simply Pump, is about to begin. I sling the bag that contains my equipment over my shoulder and trudge past cubicles, careful not to make eye contact, and enter a door marked Mothers Room.The flimsy paper sign establishing that this room is for nursing strikes me as the working moms version of a No Boys Allowed sign tacked to a tweens bedroom door. Though unlike the exclusive all-girls clubs of childhood, I cant imagine this one has anyone clamoring for membership. As I bolt the door to the space I share with four other keyholders (none of whom are nursing moms), I cringe thinking of the time one of them barged in on me before a sad little yelp declaring the room occupied could escape my lips. The look of horror on my colleagues face will probably be etched into my mind well into my babys college years.Inside the Mothers Room, an upholstered chair, mini fridge, and a plastic-plant-bedecked end-table (a nice touch, to be fair) are tucked in the corner. They form an unlikely still life in the space predominantly occupied by Solo cup towers, economy-size condiments, and trail mix packets. Thats because until a few weeks ago, this wasnt a room for nursing at all it was a walk-in pantry.I unbutton my shirt and attempt to set everything up as quickly as possible. Im careful not to disturb the laptop thats still pinging with email notifications from its precarious perch on my knees. Im like a one-woman NASCAR pit crew, only instead of anchoring tires to an axel, Im tethering myself to a wheezing breast pump.One of the realities of choosing to breastfeed is that you spend a lot of your time with your pump in a confined space. The only somewhat-private area my company could offer was the supply closet. Sitting there three times a day, goosebumps dotting my exposed skin, my pump groaning in a steady rhythm beside me, I couldnt help but think about how perfectly this experience encapsulated what it was like to be a working mom in 2018 and about what Ive already learned.Being a Working Mom Isnt Picture-PerfectWhen Id previously pictured what being a working mom would look like, I envisioned something straight out of a stock photo a woman in a power suit, a baby on her hip, a briefcase dangling from her arm, a phone pinned between her shoulder and ear, and a weary but confident smile plastered across her face. The ideal and the less ideal stock photos of working mothers courtesy of carebott/Getty Images and Mary Squillace.I didnt imagine myself shivering topless in a supply closet, nestled among La Croix cases and Pirates Booty bags. But there I was, trying to pump as much so-called liquid gold as I could in 20 minutes. Major Time Crunches Can Lead to Superhuman EfficiencyEven if my bleak surroundings reflected an equally bleak state of affairs for wo rking parents, I cant deny the ways this new routine- including the thrice-daily Mothers Room scramble- has made me better professionally.I used to wear late nights as a badge of honor I could tell you the exact moment the AC and lights would shut off. Post-baby, every minute I stayed after 5 PM put me perilously close to racking up overtime charges at daycare. Of course, my workload didnt lessen once I became a mom, so I was forced to find efficiencies wherever I could. My pumping breaks, I discovered, were the perfect time to catch up on emails- a task that I could do easily with my computer teetering on my lap and wouldnt require sustained focus. Limited Energy Forces You to Spend it WiselyI also had to prioritize. With limited energy (because lets be honest, I wasnt sleeping more than three hours at a time), I couldnt waste time overanalyzing whether the lack of exclamation marks made an email seem too bitchy or stewing over a rude comment made in a meeting. I quieted some of my control-freak tendencies and learned to delegate. Sadly, this also meant I had to cut down on things I enjoyed, like dissecting the HBO drama du jour with my co-workers. But overall it was a relief to pare down my days to the things that matter most. US Laws Are Still Woefully Behind the TimesAs a country weve certainly taken some steps forward in recent years- employers have been required to provide pumping moms with a private space and break time since the Affordable Care Act passed (yes, only since 2010)- but clearly we have a ways to go. And my shabby pumping digs are totally firstworldproblems compared to what many face. After all, Im lucky enough to live in California, one of only seven states that have passed legislation mandating paid family leave. Im also not an hourly worker, so I never had to worry about taking unpaid breaks to pump.Sure, some companies have been making improvements, particularly in industries like tech where its become trendy to do so (think Netflixs ye ar-long paid leave policy), but this kind of piecemeal progress still leaves many working parents behind. Companies Need Working Moms in Leadership RolesStill, I wondered, if there had been more women- and particularly other moms- helming the company, would they have been motivated to provide a more comfortable space? I also thought back to a previous employer, which threw swanky holiday parties featuring prime rib carving stations, but didnt offer any paid maternity leave. Companies like these flaunt ping-pong tables and happy hours to entice talent, yet do little to create a more appealing environment for employees who happen to be parents. When Im sure Ive wrung out the last droplet of milk, I detach myself from my pump, wipe down my accessories, and put everything in the fridge. Ive estimated this saves me the five or six minutes Id spend walking to and from the kitchen to hand wash everything. (See? I can find efficiencies everywhere)Providing my son with as much breast milk as I can for as long as I can is important to me, so that alone gives me plenty of motivation to tolerate the awkwardness of pumping at work. The experience has also introduced me to both the challenges and benefits that await me in my new life as a working mom. Stripping down in this dreary shared space three times a day has tested my mettle in ways I never expected. While I hope other working moms are able to express milk without being forced to stare down Cheez-It boxes or brace themselves for keys jingling on the other side of the door, my time in the supply closet has opened my eyes to big-picture issues worth fighting for, as well as my new strengths as a working mom. And isnt that kind of insight worth a few shreds of dignity?I sure hope so.

Men talk 92% of the time on conference calls

Men talk 92% of the time on conference callsMen talk 92% of the time on conference callsIf you are listening in on a corporate earnings call, its likely a man will be on the other line. In a new analysis of 155,000 company conference calls over the past 19 years, men dominated talking on the corporate conference call, speaking 92% of the time, according to automated research firm Prattle, which did the numbers at Bloombergs request.Men dominate the conference callThe reason for womens absence is twofold, the research suggests there are more men present in general during ansicht calls and the men who are in the room enjoy taking up the whole conversation. Women made up 10.2% of earnings calls on average, but when they spoke, the analysis found that it was largely limited to introductory remarks.Male executives provide significantly more verbose answers to analyst questions than their female counterparts, Prattle CEO Evan Schnidmansaid to Bloomberg. One could surmise that male executiv es are more prone to speaking simply to hear themselves speak.Men hogging the conversation is not limited to earnings and conference calls. Routine interruptions can happen at the highest levels of power. One study found that female Supreme Court justices got interrupted three times as often as men. Because they were interrupted more, it became harder for them to shape and convince their colleagues of their arguments.The loss of womens voices in decision rooms can lead to worse outcomes. When female analysts do not get into the room, companies and the people that follow them miss out on their advice. A 2010 report in the Journal of Accounting Research found that female equity analysts issued bolder and more accurate forecasts than their male counterparts, partly out of self-selection If you were a female analyst in a male-dominated market, you had to be stronger to stick around, the thinking went. People in the market recognized these female analysts superior abilities and responded to it.Speaking up in a meeting can be intimidating, whether you are on a conference call or in a boardroom. To get over this fear and make your ideas heard, Amy Bernstein, editor of Harvard Business Review, advises thinking of the mission at hand Its not about you. Its about the idea. And when you get to that point, you liberate yourself from all of those doubts and all of the communication of those doubts and you make it so much easier to get your ideas across. And you become so much more interesting.

You have no idea what you are doingand thats good.

You have no idea what you are doingand thats good. You have no idea what you are doingand thats good. Author Neil Gaimans brilliant commencement speech atPhiladelphias University of the Arts.I think this statement is true for many professionsWhen you start out on a career in the arts you have no idea what you are doing.This is great. People who know what they are doing know the rules, and know what is possible and impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can.If you dont know its impossible its easier to do. And because nobodys done it before, they havent made up rules to stop anyone doing that particular thing again.

1 in 3 Millennials using retirement money to finance homes

1 in 3 Millennials using retirement money to finance homes1 in 3 Millennials using retirement money to finance homesWhen youre a cash-strapped aspiring homeowner, you may start digging through all your emergency funds to get the home of your dreams. In fact, a newBank of the Wests surveyof over 600 Americans ages 21-34 found that nearly 1 in 3 Millennial homeowners have used their retirement funds as down payments for their home.The survey found that Millennials are willing to sacrifice their far-off future for their homeowner dream of the present. Fifty-six percent of Millennials said that owning a home was a bigger priority than paying off debt or retiring comfortably.Is borrowing from your retirement a smart move? Experts have mixed feelings about this decision.Pros and cons of using retirement savings for buying a homeThe pros of using retirement money is dependent on if your home is a good investment or not. How long are you planning to stay in your home? Is this house in an up- and-coming neighborhood? What are rental prices like in your local area? These are questions that Abby Hayes, a personal finance blogger who has written for The Dough Roller, said that you should ask yourself before you withdraw retirement money.But the big downside is that you are risking your future financial security. Thats why Bank of the West finds this trend alarming. Once you take money out of your retirement account, it can be too hard for you to catch up on payments later on. Millennials are so eager to become homeowners that some may be inadvertently cutting off their nose to spite their face, Ryan Bailey, Head of the Retail Banking Group at Bank of the West, said. To avoid buyers remorse, Millennials should cover their bases and kick the proverbial tires- reflecting on their physical and financial wishes for a home before they sign on the dotted line.Weigh the decision of each investment carefully before you ink the deal. Take it from homeowners who regretted their decisi on. Forty-one percent of Millennials surveyed said their home stretched themselves too thin financially. And 44% of Millennials said they discovereddamage to the house or realized too late that the space did not work for their family.

What Everybody Dislikes About One or Two Page Resume and Why

What Everybody Dislikes About One or Two Page Resume and Why Nobody will read all them. Theres not anything wrong with a 2 page resume in several cases. When there are a really good deal of jobs posted online, the very best jobs are either created on your own or are referred to you. When you must list all the relevant skills about the job that you are applying for, you are unable to end it in a single page. Collect 8-10 postings of jobs you need to submit an application for. Youre asking for a job thats different from your present or most recent job. The Benefits of One or Two Page Resume The target of your resume is to secure you the interview. A Resume summarizes your whole work and education history and makes it possible to secure work. You have little if any work experience, for example in case you have recently graduated from school. Take into consideration the skills required at the job which you desire. If youve held only a single job, dont attempt to create a fiv e-page resume. In a CV, for instance, if youre asking for work in education, you may want to place your teaching experience on top of your CV. One or Two Page Resume - Dead or Alive? Supply your bar status if youre asking for a legal position for which the bar is needed, but keep the information to a single line on your resume. Too many bullet points, however, or an excessive amount of text can lead to an employer to swiftly move on to some other candidate. The reply is 6 seconds for the very first pass. In tomorrows world, job seekers will revolve around managing their on-line identity, not only sending out resumes. To decide between the much better prospects, you are going to want to get to understand them better. With so many conflicting opinions its difficult to understand what recruiters are seeking. Make certain you choose the most suitable one for the work offer. You might not even have a work opening approved by higher levels of management, but youre always watchin g for new talent. The profile also has things like the work seekers location, and whether they are prepared to relocate. There are many goods in the well-integrated career portfolio. If you have sufficient relevant experience, training, and credentials concerning the place to showcase on more than 1 page of your resume, then do it. Ruthless Or Two Page Resume Strategies Exploited Its fine to have 4-page collection of accomplishments. In terms of a recent graduate, 1 page is going to do, Wilson states. Faculty evaluation of each applicants portfolio is a significant component in the admission practice. Supplementary Statement Law is an area of study that provides students a wide variety of career alternatives. The Benefits of One or Two Page Resume Possessing a plan is important in addition to knowing how to make a resume that Canadian employers wish to see. Youre invited to explain the way your life experiences or individual characteristics would significantly increase th e diversity of the student population and boost the educational climate of the law school. For this reason, you ought to be ready to fund your studies. You have to disregard experiences and abilities which dont market you to your present-day goal however proud you may be of them. Regardless of whether you take advantage of a CV or resume, you should thoroughly edit your document. Make it a strong marketing and advertising document. Only E-mail applications of one PDF file is going to be accepted. Depending upon your experience, a couple of pages are perfect. What Has to be Done About One or Two Page Resume Before Its Too Late A short a couple of page resume. For some it might be tough to condense a resume down to a single page. If you think a 1 page resume is essential, youre mistaken. Nonetheless, a single page is normally better. Within the next section, find out precisely when you will require a multiple page resume, and the best way to do it right. Its simple enough to master 2-page resume format. Furthermore, text ought to be a normal size throughout the resume. In case the text on the second page is just a couple of lines, you might want to think about reformatting and sticking to the 1 page rule.

Find a career thats totally you

Find a career thats totally you Find A Career Thats Totally YouPosted July 15, 2013, by Vivien LuuWhen it comes to choosing a career, experts recommend you approach it in the same way you would when picking a spouse. Compatibility. Compatibility. Compatibility. If youre after long-term success, chances are you wont marry someone who doesnt share the same values or outlook as you. Nor will it be possible to live happily ever after with a personality that clashes violently with your own. Youre going to spend the rest of your life with this person, so youve got to get along (thats the idea anyway). Same goes for picking a career path. Youre going to spend the rest of your life working (1686 hours per year to be precise, according to the OECD Better Life Index), so you and your job need to get along. Below are the main personality types identified in the test which one are you?DriverDrivers are self-motivated and independent individuals who always strive for achievement. Bold and de cisive by nature, Drivers are born leaders and often enjoy being in positions that give them power and control. Drivers will thrive in fast-paced work environments and need to feel constantly challenged. They are results-driven people and rational decision-makers, so emotion doesnt play a big part in their approach to work. Most importantly, Drivers have a get it done mentality and, like Frank Sinatra, theyll do it their way. If youre a Driver, some career matches for you includeEntrepreneur/Business ownerLawyerPolice OfficerActorProfessional AthleteCivil EngineerFirefighterBankerSalespersonParamedicPromoterPromoters are outgoing and extroverted individuals who will do best in careers that involve dealing with people. With superior interpersonal and communication skills, Promoters are great socialisers and have a knack for persuading, motivating and representing others. Promoters can also be highly expressive and are creative by nature. Potential career paths for promoters inc ludeAdvertising CreativePoliticianSpeech PathologistNews AnchorInterior DecoratorChiropractorSales and Marketing ManagerNutritionistSolicitorPublicistSupporterSupporters are dependable, practical and kind people who enjoy helping others. Easygoing by nature, Supporters are focused on getting along and do well in careers that involve people, services and information. They work best in secure team environments that are non-confrontational and free of conflict. Supporters dislike rapid change and are cautious and deliberate in their working style. They are also naturally inclined to help others solve their problems. As a Supporter, occupations that may suit you includeNurseSocial WorkerTeacherProbation OfficerNegotiatorParalegalOccupational TherapistAccountantPharmacistPublic Relations OfficerAnalyserAnalysers are perfectionists who like systems, rules and structure. As rational thinkers, Analysers like getting it right so their ideal jobs would involve working with details, facts an d information, rather than with people. They enjoy the challenge of collating information and providing precise evaluations and reports. Analysers also have a no-nonsense work ethic. They are highly capable administrators, very detail-oriented and will follow procedures and standards to a tee. They often prefer working alone. Occupations that Analysers may find fulfilling includeBarristerArchitectPilotFinancial AnalystJournalistEditorSurgeonElectricianAdministratorSoftware DeveloperTechnical Engineer ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice Administrator CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire Online Vivien LuuViv is a writer who enjoys researching and writing about creativity, how the human mind works, and neuro processes. She values creativity above all else and admires people who pursue their career dreams, no matter the sacrifice. In her spare time, she binges on HBO shows and epic fantasy novels.Related ArticlesBrowse moreBossJob hunting tipsHow to cope with a bad bossLike death and taxes, its inevitable that you will have a bad boss at some stage of your career. Just follow these simple steps to manage your workplace and regain your sanity.Dressing for workJob hunting tipsWhat To Wear To An InterviewGot pre-interview outfit jitters? Whether youre applying for a corporate job, need to pull off the business casual look or are a creative professional, weve got all the tips and tricks you need to know about dressing for an interview.JOB HUNTINGWhat Recruiters Wish Youd Stop Doing Recruiters have a hard time working with some clients - even if you are the best in your field. F ind out here some of the things that recruiters hate so that you can avoid them and snag that dream job.

Forrester Validates Simply Hireds Online Recruitment Solution

Forrester Validates Simply Hireds Online Recruitment SolutionForrester Validates Simply Hireds Online Recruitment SolutionMeasuring the value of recruiting activities is often difficult for companies. The most successful organizations have measurement tools in distributions-mix to track the impact of decisions ranging from budget allocation to vendor selection.Its vital to know how effectively your recruiting dollars are being spent. Ask yourself whether you are seeing a reduction in costs and a faster time to hire as opposed to spending with no incremental improvement in efficiency.A large organization that has worked withSimply Hiredfor more than six years volunteered their data for a Forrester Total Economic Impact Study. The results are in, and were happy to report the findings. They prove that Simply Hired is an essential part of a cost-conscious recruiting strategy, providing value to job seekers and employers alike. Some highlights from the studyLowest Cost Simply Hired delive red candidates at the lowest cost of all vendors studied less than 1/2 the cost of the leading job boards.Faster Time-to-fillWith Simply Hired faster time-to-fill is estimated to play a positive role in nearly 100% of hiring campaigns.Low Risk Only pay for job postings when theyre clicked, compared with paying to post jobs at the outset.While were proud of our ability to drive cost savings, Simply Hired ultimately provides a service to job seekers and employers. By matching the right candidates to the right job, we help job seekers find jobs they loveandwe help employers find productive employees.Forresters study also validates that the service we provide- and the technology weve developed- benefits employers and job seekers alike by saving clients money and filling positions faster. The recruiting organization in the study estimated that Simply Hired Client Services, at no incremental fee, helped the client save additional expense in an estimated 10 percent of their hiring campaig ns.Whether your recruiting budget is in the millions or in the thousands,Simply Hired can help you save money.To download the full report,click here.We at Simply Hired would love to help you find great hires faster and at a better value than traditional job boards. Contact usand lets get started. Were ready when you areRead Related ArticlesIs Your Job Posting Budget Optimized?

I Resolve To...Manage Expectations of Myself and Others

I Resolve To...Manage Expectations of Myself and OthersI Resolve To...Manage Expectations of Myself and OthersHave you ever had one of those days when you just couldnt seem to get anything done, despite your best intentions? Unless youre a superhuman with impeccable initiative and an inability to be distracted by cute cate videos, you probably know what were talking about. Whether its the myriad of work piling up on your desk, a host of small problems that seem to pull you away from larger tasks, or simply a lack of a good nights sleep that leaves you unable to focus, weve all had moments in the workplace where we feel less than satisfied with our accomplishments.Sure, we can sit and beat ourselves up for not punching out that report fast enough or for not getting that extra invoice sent out for the day, but repeated studies show that criticizing ourselves, and others, for perceived failures can often be counterproductive. Dont get us wrong, from time to time there will be a bad appl e in the workforce who turns out to be lazy or uncoachable, but the majority of us simply need a little help in prioritization. This is why true leaders should resolve to manage expectations, both of themselves, and others, in order to improve performance rather than simply asking for more or harder work. Sound impossible? Lets dig into a few simple ways to make big changes with this approach.Evaluate the Current SituationWhether its a single project or an entire system or way of conducting geschftlicher umgang before goals can be set or deadlines established leaders need to evaluate the current state of affairs. What are your main pain points or problem areas in your industry and specific place of business? What are short, medium, and long term projects that need to be accomplished? Finally, what are your current staffing capabilities both in number and talent? Evaluating each of these with a critical eye is a crucial first step to undertake before you can move on to planning and i mplementation.Establish Realistic GoalsWhether its yourself or your employees, if you are unclear on what can realistically be accomplished in a given timeframe, it will be nearly impossible to set clear, realistic timelines. Can you really roll out that systemwide software upgrade in three months? Perhaps theres a project that other companies could accomplish in a few weeks but with your current staffing levels, it will take a gruppe more than double the time. In short, be honest with your assessment of the situation and dont be afraid to ask for extra resources, additional time, or to push back altogether if a goal just isnt doable. Not only will this save you face with management and your team, but youll also be less likely to discourage your own efforts due to feelings of failure or hopelessness from trying to meet an unrealistic endgame.Expectations of SelfWhen it comes to managing expectations, leadership starts at the top. Be an example to your team by identifying, establishi ng, and then following up on clear goals for your own performance. While these dont always need to be communicated directly to those you work with, do take the opportunity to mention during regular check-ins or team meetings. This will help keep you accountable and will also signal to others that you take promises seriously when it comes to your work performance.Expectations of Your TeamLeading by example is great and all, but if you arent clear in communicating your expectations to those who answer to you, itll be difficult to try and introduce a culture of accountability. Many managers get hung up when it comes to being afraid to ask too much of their team members. This can create hedging in your directions and confusion when it comes to what was supposed to get done and by whom. To avoid these hiccups, sit your team down and establish clear protocols and procedures for asking for help and taking direction.When assigning an individual project, be clear about the final due date and any nuanced guidance you may have to delivery or roll out. Lastly, if a deadline is dropped or less than the optimal product is turned in, be sure to debrief your individual team members as to what went wrong. This can make a big difference in weeding out poor performers from those who simply need additional guidance and can also identify flaws in your own ability to clearly communicate expectations.Expectations of Your CompanyWhile the individual cogs are the day to day performers, the company you answer to also needs to live up to its promises in order for the individual employees to be effective in their roles. If you are being asked to implement a plan that is simply unfeasible with your current staffing levels or resources, be sure to speak up. Asking for the tools and support you need to do your job wont be considered rude or demanding but instead will demonstrate that you are a leader who wants to get things done and isnt afraid to speak up when necessary in order to execute a vision.Its Not a One Time FixWhile the above basic guidelines are a great place to start to develop a method for managing expectations, its important to know these steps arent a one time practice. Each new initiative, project, or major sales goal will need some version of the above, even in an abbreviated format. Its also useful to schedule regular check-ins both for yourself and your team to ensure that there hasnt been any material change in assumptions that may necessitate a shift in expectations. Remember that accountability is a key skill for any great leader and that execution of this trait goes both up and down the corporate ladder. Keep good housekeeping of your ability to manage expectations of self and others and youll be well on your way to getting more accomplished and to feeling less overwhelmed in the process.

The true reason Musk, Bezos, and Branson are obsessed with space

The true reason Musk, Bezos, and Branson are obsessed with spaceThe true reason Musk, Bezos, and Branson are obsessed with spaceCosmology, more than any other curiosity profits from mystery.For those of us that became pseudo-intellectual headaches the week we finished Carl Sagans Cosmos, the less we actually understood about the pedagogical gamechanger the more hypnotic the content became. For the true experts, astronomy is governed by the opposite tack that theology is. Theology is all about the final word Heres what happened and death to anyone that suggests otherwise. Astronomers, on the other hand, salivate at the smell of contradiction Heres what we think happened, but we encourage the contrary view. Lastly, you have the wealthy-intellectual elite. To these, the other end of the telescope receives an unconquered sea, alight with star-spangled currency. Cracking NASAs interstellar monopoly wide open, theyve been dyeing their cosmic flags for almost two decades now. The USS Branso n has been tweaking for a galactic voyage since 2004. People want to go to space, people should go to space, because they come back changed. The English VirginGroup founder once remarked in reference to the launch of his Space Tourism enterprise. But alas, to put it in the words of the lion maned magnate himself, Space is hard.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe Space Race IIBranson celebrated 69 at NASAs Kennedy Space Centerover the weekend, during a blowout conducted in honor of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Alongside certified NASA members, the event welcomed the attendance of the 100 aspiring astronauts that have already invested in the Virgin Galacticsinterstellar voyage. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrins iconic touch down on lunar soil is forever embedded in Branons psyche. Upon reflection, he believes Apollo 11 to be the true inspiration behind the Virgin Galac tic.Elon Musk, the living breathing mascot for prophetic space jargon, recently occasioned the moon landing as the single most inspiring event in history. This makes sense given everything we know about the personality of Musks legacy and the aim of his detractors, both drawing from the same well. The moon landing, in a single bound, made fools of all those that took John F. Kennedys declaration for granted just eight years prior, established a nation of insatiable pioneers, introduced the previously inconceivable potential of celestial conquest, all the while reshaping the pop culture landscape as we know it. What could make the eccentric South African engineer more satisfied than being able to make gadflies eat their aspersions, justify his lofty investments, revolutionize commerce and be the current that effectively energizes a new age?If any of this is gonna happen in our lifetime, I would forgive you for preemptively declaring Musk to be the first cosmic Viking to light his ves sel upon empyrean shores. Jeff Bezos recently waxed poetic about his very own space colony, and so now we can fully illustrate the sterile board meeting approved sequel to the Space Race And this time its personal. Where the first go-round was staged between two cold war rivals, pitting capitalism and communism head to head, this iteration is set between a trio of billionaires committing to a missile measuring contest, the victor of which will be responsible for making science fiction an affordable, practical reality. To be fair, in this parallel universe wherein keeping up with the adventures ofadults in body stockings has become the most important thing in society, its kind of refreshing to watch pop culture aficionados with the actual brain and green power to furnish their niche obsessions duke it out.Its also fun that they each represent different shades of the geek rainbow. ElonMusk is the modern pot-smoking, Kanye West-loving, Douglas Adams reading, kid with the coolest toys in the neighborhood kind of nerd. Richard Branson is a throwback die-hard Trekkie, ride the tyga,owns reptiles for sure and probably a katana, kind of nerd. And Bezos is thepracticed statistical analysis by designing a survey so students could rate their teachers, says films/pictures instead of movies, my watch updates itself from the atomic clock 36 six times a day, my spacesuit has a pocket protector kind of nerd.Bezos, Musk, and Branson represent a unique trio of billionaire space-cases only by reason of publicity. The truth is theres a strange but well-established correlationbetween inexhaustible wealth and the desire to champion worlds unknown. Aerospace companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin are all behind schedule in their promise of redundant space access. Yet plutocrats eagerly wait in line to microdose on heaven.I think colonization attempts to defy that Rousseau maxim that has been needling the rich for nearly three centuries, namely the submission that t here are simply some things that money just cant buy. Its not the literal wisdom of the quote that tests the patience of the opulent but the implication that exceptional wealth can only be rewarded by the forfeit of a restful mind-or that one cant have all the money in the world, without the exceeding want for true meaning.But space tourism thinks cheaply of the adage enjoyed by men still bowled over by steam engines. If the promises of the three Flioneers prove prophetic, it means there is indeed a price on an indelible legacy. To be one of the first humans to colonize the Moon means you can pay your way into a history book, theres a tag on the children of the future saying Chad Sylverspoon in earnest, histrionic tones. This is doubly true for the trinity of would-be Space engineers mentioned above. Bezos, Musk, and Branson are in the business of impact, which utilizes currency that clears by the millennia.