Episode 124 • Doing the Right Thing
Conscientious
Rely on someone
Reasonable
Sensible
Sound choice
Story
Hank: Liam! Thanks for coming.
Liam: Of course, boss. What’s up? Everything good?
Hank: Everything’s great, Liam. Oh, no, you don’t need to sit. It’s going to be quick. Listen, we’re very happy with the work you’ve been doing here. You have proven to be a very conscientious worker. The whole team can rely on you, I can rely on you. You’ve never disappointed me and everybody seems to love you. So, I know you haven’t been with us for long but we think you deserve a promotion, which obviously also means a salary raise. Here’s the amount.
Liam: Oh, wow, Hank. I- I don’t know what to say… You got me scared there for a second. I thought you were going to fire me! I’m just- Thank you so much.
Hank: That’s alright, Liam. Just… keep doing what you’re doing.
Liam: I sure will!
[Door closes]
[Phone ringing]
Liam’s wife: Hey! Is everything okay?
Liam: Honey, you’re never going to believe it! I got a promotion. That means we can finally get a new car!
Liam’s wife: That’s great news, babe!
Liam: I’m going to buy it right after work.
Liam’s wife: Wait, already? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to wait a few days so that we can have a bit time to-
Liam: No, honey. We’ve been talking about this for months. We need a car! Our family needs a car.
Liam’s wife: Okay. Do you know what car we should get?
Liam: I mean, it’s between the two cars I was showing you a couple weeks ago. It’s either the Toyota or the BMW. I think I’ll go for the Toyota. Yeah, yeah I think so. That’s the most sensible thing to do.
Liam’s wife: Okay. Well, I trust you, honey. I know you’re going to make a sound choice.
Liam: Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.
Liam’s wife: Love you.
Liam: Love you too!
[Clock ticking]
[engine revving up]
Liam’s wife: What is this?
Liam: Oh, this? I just- I couldn’t resist. It’s a Ferrari.
Liam’s wife: How much was it?
Liam: Oh, don’t worry about that for now. It’s a very safe car, the guy who sold it to me said it’s perfect for a family.
Liam’s wife: Oh, is it? ‘Cuz last time I checked, we had four kids and this thing only has two seats. Where are they going to sit? In the trunk?
Liam: Uhm, yeah, that’s a good point…
Questions
Conscientious
'You have proven to be a very conscientious worker.'
• If you are a conscientious person, do you do only what’s necessary in your job or do you try to do your job very well?
If you are a conscientious person, that means that you really care about the work that you're doing and you want to do it very well. You do it carefully.
• Can a student be conscientious?
Yes, absolutely. A student can be conscientious if they do things well and they care about what they're studying and they do the best job that they can, then you can say that they are conscientious.
• Do you think your boss would define you as conscientious?
Yes, I definitely think so. I really care about everything that I do. I guess it's a pride thing. I just want to make sure that whatever I do, it just reflects the work that I do and my abilities. I work super hard to make sure that I'm proud of the things that I put out. Yes, definitely, I think my boss would definitely define me as conscientious.
Rely on someone
'The company can rely on you, I can rely on you. '
• If you can rely on someone, do you trust they will do what you’ve asked them to do or not?
Yes, you do. If you rely on someone, you know that if you've asked them to do something that they will do it. You don't have to worry about reminding them or just checking to make sure that they've done it because if you rely on them, that means that you trust that they will do it.
• Is there someone that you’re sure you can rely on?
I wish I could say my boyfriend. I can definitely rely on him in a ton of situations. He's there for me, he's very supportive, but if I ask him to, say, I don't know, "Take out the trash," I'm not really sure that he's going to do it. I may have to remind him two, three, four, five, six, or seven times. I'm not really sure I can rely on him in that situation, but I think another great example of someone on whom I can rely would be my sister. I just know that she's very busy, but I know that if I ask her to do something, she's going to remember and she's going to do it. I can definitely rely on her.
Reasonable
'Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to wait a few days…?'
• If something you do is reasonable, does it make sense or is it stupid?
If something that you do is reasonable that means that it makes sense. It's the right thing to do. It's the best thing to do given the circumstances. It's what a wise person would do.
• Are the choices you make usually reasonable?
I don't really think so. I sometimes feel like I am a five-year-old in the body of a 33-year-old. That's how I feel most of the time because I'm a very impulsive person. I don't think before I do something, I just do it. If I want to buy something, I'll buy it. It's been 33 years and I haven't been able to mature in this way. I don't know. If you got any tips, let me know.
Sensible
'That’s the most sensible thing to do.'
• If you do something sensible, are you showing good judgment or not?
Yes, if you do something sensible, you are showing good judgment, meaning you are doing the wise thing and the right thing and the thing that's most appropriate. Now, make sure that you don't confuse the word sensible with the word sensitive because they're two different things. We're talking about sensible. We're talking about doing the right thing, the most appropriate thing. All right. Let's think of an example.
• What is more sensible? To work out 2 days a week for 4 hours straight? Or to work out every day for 30 minutes?
Obviously, the more sensible thing to do is to work out every day for 30 minutes. Working out for four hours straight for two days a week is not a good idea. That is not a very sensible thing to do.
• What can the adjective sensible refer to?
Well, you can, for example, give sensible advice, or I don't know, you can make a sensible choice or a sensible decision. You can even call somebody sensible. It sounds like it's an insult. It's not an insult. It's a good thing. If you say, "Oh, she's a sensible girl," meaning she's going to do the right thing, she knows better, she knows what the right thing to do is. Once again, make sure you don't confuse sensible and sensitive.
• Do you feel like you make sensible lifestyle choices?
No. Once again, five-year-old me decides what happens throughout the day. I don't make very sensible choices when it comes to my lifestyle. I don't eat particularly well. I don't really exercise. I hardly drink any water. No.
Sound choice
'Well, I trust you, honey. I know you’re going to make a sound choice.'
• What constitutes a sound choice? A choice that will most likely produce the right results or a stupid choice that might get you in trouble later?
A sound choice is a choice that will most likely produce the right results. It's a good choice, basically. A sound choice is a choice that shows good judgment. It's pretty similar to the word sensible in a way.
• Have you made mostly sound choices lately or not?
No, I haven't. I'm going to give you an example. Last week, no, it was maybe two weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to hire a personal trainer and I just thought it was going to be good for me, but I know it's hard for me to stick to a routine. Anyway, I went ahead. My boyfriend was like, "Yeah, no, I don't think you're going to go through with it once he gives you the plan." I was just like, "No, no, no, I'm going to do it. This is what I want to do right now and I feel confident about it." I get the plan, there's a workout, there's a nutrition plan that I have to follow. I stick to it for a day. I want to say a day, not even 20 hours because by nighttime, I'm going crazy because I just want a freaking cookie. That's all I can think about. My boyfriend is like, "Just go to sleep." I'm like, "No, I can't go to sleep. I need a freaking cookie." Then I had three cookies. I haven't written to him yet, but I have to text him to tell him that I'm not going to go through with it, I'm not going to continue. Yes, that was an example of a choice that was not a sound choice. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of examples of sound choices because I don't make many but hopefully, you got what it means.
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