Felix or Oscar?

I shared a bit of our daughter's college graduation experience on Monday.  Some of the things we learned in helping our daughter move out of her college dorm were that college students tend to be rather messy.  I started thinking back to that old TV show, The Odd Couple.  Oscar, in particular, came to mind.  Remember Felix and Oscar? Felix Unger was a rather up-tight, neat freak.  Oscar Madison was the fun-loving slob.  Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?  Well, no!  But many of these college students made it work.  Some had roomates that were messy though they were rather neat.  It seemed to work fairly well. Does it work well in the "real world?"  Actually, no. If you pick up clients and take them out to dinner, your messy car might communicate that you are not very well organized in your business.  If you have a messy home, your dinner party guests might get the idea your personal life is a mess.  If you have a messy desk, it might tell your boss you aren't ready for the responsiblity of promotion. On the plane going to my daughter's graduation I read a magazine article that said that 83% of HR managers judge you by the state of your desk. Did you know that some interviewing sales professionals are asked if their prospective boss can meet their wives?  When we were first married, my husband was looking into Dean Whitter.  Yes, they asked to meet me!  Messy wife, messy life! If you're website is messy, hard to navigate and filled with random "stuff," your customers will not know what to do.  If you're blog is messy, filled with random thoughts, your readers won't know what to read or feel compelled to come back.  If your store is messy, filled with random merchandise, your patrons won't know what you sell. On the other hand, being too clean can be a problem as well.  Felix often had a hard time letting people actually live in his living room.  You see, it might get messy! If you spend so much of your time making sure your car, house, office is neat and clean, people can be put off or afraid to be with you. I think a healthy dose of Felix and Oscar, mixed with godly scripture and good communication makes a great recipe for communication in your relationships. What say you?  Do you tend to be more like Felix or Oscar?  Have a Felix or Oscar friend?  How does their home or office or car affect their relationships?  What does it say about you? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter