Office Environments

Some of you know, earlier this year, I started working for a different company but rejoined my old company after a few months.  I was sincerely very excited for the new opportunity.  I was drained and had come to my wits end with the owner of the screen printing company.  The owner for the jewelry company had read the same books I had like The Power of Now and The Secret, so I really felt that we would be on the same page as far as thinking was concerned. Boy, was I wrong.  I understand, working from the bottom and proving yourself when you start a new place of employment is important but I wasn't ready for the ride I was supposed to take.  Granted, it was a small company and I understand the dynamics would be a little different.  By the end of month two, I was ready to head out of that situation as well.  The owner did read these books but I don't think he really applied the concepts especially after I read a Facebook post basically him exclaiming that the "haters can keep hating".  Not to mention, the person in accounting was very critical and negative of everyone accept her and her daughter, who also worked there.

After finishing my 90 days, I came back to the screen printing company to run some reports as a favor.  Later on that day, the VP offered me a position in a different department in the company.  I was kind of torn on making a decision but the pay was better and I had sincerely missed the office environment.  I accepted the offer and I have been so happy ever since.  This environment suits me so much better as there is genuine goodness and laughter with those around me.

I know that sometimes we have to take opportunities given to us to grow but when those don't work out, I know deep down in my heart that another door will be opening near by where you least expect it.

Making Half the Attempt isn't Enough

Yesterday, I went to Sunday service as part of our weekly ritual and the sermon that day really touched on a lot of things that I have been striving to do for myself. It had to do with "teaching an old dog new tricks". We get caught up on our lives and routine and don't think about what can we do to better ourselves because we are complacent. Being a good Christian is all about following God's word to the best of our abilities. We are all not perfect, however, we can strive to be the best possible version of ourselves. There is one thing that has always stuck with me when I was doing my "internship" with the record label in my early 20s. Mind you, this was a very difficult point in my life full of deceit and pressure to do things I wasn't meant to do. But the man who put me through all that continuously said one thing to me. He said, "Don't do things half ass". It has really been a mantra for whatever reason. Deep down in your heart, you know when you are not making the best effort and you are just trying to fly through a task. When you're just doing what you are told to do at work, you're doing it with half the effort. When you're telling someone half the story, you might be leaving important parts out. It's all about efficiency.

I was also at an event where there was a panel of men who have reached the pinnacle of their career such as the Brand Manager of Red Lobster and Room Operations at Walt Disney World. The Brand Manager said the way to get to where you want in your career is to do something outside of your job description. It's just a guideline but not what would differentiate you from the rest of the candidates for a higher position.

Basically, its like what the pastor said when describing his dog. He knew when his dog did something wrong because it would display guilt and shame. When you know you didn't really do what you needed to do and just skimmed the top, deep down inside, you know it was a half ass effort. Being a better version of yourself has to do with going above and beyond your job description. Not just doing enough to get by.