Choices

I've been debating for several weeks now about what possibly could be my "second blog".  I wanted it to be insightful even a little "aww inspiring".  I had several topics, over this time, enter the realm of possible, entertainment worthy, topics for me to provide for your reading.  The core question I always try to answer and provide in every encounter I make is, will the encounter "add value" to you and/or your life?  As Brennan Manning once said “In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.”

Let me pause here for a brief moment to offer how I mulled over these topics.  Something would come up, I'd witness something, something at home, something at a store, a friend would say something, a friend would be suffering through something, etc etc.  I try very hard to pay attention to the little details in life that most people overlook or choose to ignore.  I find that in those moments life's greatest mysteries and gifts are found.  So, as I've told some people, pay attention to every moment of your life.  (I'll likely write about that at some point)

One of Gods greatest gifts in life is the ability for each and every one of us to make our own choices.  Equally in that gift, is the power that choice that will give us.  Some choices are small and somewhat insignificant, like what clothes am I going to wear or will I change my oil in my car today or not. However, even some of the small choices, the ones that truly look insignificant at the time end up being MUCH MORE than that.

Let me tell you about a choice that forever changed my life.  I was 20 years old, newly married, and working for minimum wage my first semester at College.  I had just finished my 2yr degree, and being married wanted to get a job and start a family.  College was the backup plan, one of which I really didn't want to do as I was tired of being in school.  I spent the summer trying very hard to find a job, but learned quickly that being fresh out of college and looking for a job, it wasn't the right timing.  I should have followed a few other classmates' examples. They had jobs, but they started flooding the market a semester before they graduated.  Lesson learned here, I was more talented than most of them that landed jobs but they started earlier and found a job fresh out of college.

Over the summer I met a guy who said that if I end up at the college to see his Mom and she could likely help get me a job somewhere on campus.  I found myself back in college and indeed she helped me find a job on campus.  She sent me to talk with a lady who was the supervisor of several student workers.  The job was data entry.  Specifically, entering data about Alumni who replied to surveys in the mail.  It was long before online surveys were doable....yes, I'm old, especially considering you're using a computer or a cell phone to read this now.  I was hired and after a week I learned THE JOB SUCKED!!!  

Turns out the woman in charge wasn't a good boss either, and had many issues in her own life that would cause her to lash out at the student workers.  My fellow student employees, however, were awesome and we got along well, in fact often times we had fun....when the boss wasn't in one of her moods.  So, after a week I found myself thinking "I HATE this job, the work, the boss, the environment, etc", something had to change.  I liked the fact that it was on campus which ultimately saved me gas and money, as well as time to get to said job, but the rest of the it was somewhat unbearable, I almost had to take some valium just to bare a normal work day. It was truly horrible.  I had a choice to make, in fact several choices here.  The first one was pretty easy, I didn't want to leave due to the above reasons, so I chose to stay.  The next one was pretty easy for me too, I can ignore people pretty well, so I'd just ignore the boss, as much as I could, even when she's in one of her moods.  Now, what about the work, it was pretty horrible, and something I truly didn't like and didn't want to do.  My choice was.....I have another 2 years of this job until I graduate, I can be miserable and HATE my job, OR I can view it a little differently.  It WAS MY CHOICE!!!  

I'm sure most 20yr olds, when faced with a similar situation, would have run screaming and yelling and found another job, but my choice was.....challenge MYSELF to do better every day.  Work faster with more data entered, but never sacrifice quality.  There were checks and balances in place to check the quality in the system.  When I started making mistakes at speed, I would slow back down, look at the area where I messed up, readjust if I could, and speed back up.  Within a week, I was making some major progress, which excited me, and drove me that much more.  For me, when something is like an assembly line, I can excel at it over time.  This was certainly a case for that.  After another week, now 3 weeks into it, I started noticing things.  Like, I was outperforming several of the "veteran student workers" who had been there, in some cases, 3+ years.  After the start of the 4th week, I found out, not only was I out performing most individuals but my stack of completed papers for that week was HIGHER than 4 students, one of which was our Grad Assistant, who we all looked up to as the "Queen of data entry".  So my stack of completed papers were as tall as 5 other students combined.  Quite impressive, but the humility in me certainly wouldn't allow any kind of "big head or ego" to kick in, like other people might tend to do.  When the other students started to notice and sometimes feel threatened by the "new comer" I would smile, often times laugh, and simply say....it was a choice I made, and so can you!

From this choice, pretty much all things from that point forward that was "good", were a result of that choice as well as making other good choices along the way.  I didn't end up doing data entry for the next 2 years.  Shortly after the 4 week mark I was offered a full-time job outside of college, and had a new choice.  I left college, as it was well within the timeframe to drop without any penalty, and started working full time.  My college advisor suggested dropping all but two classes, one was a night class (rare to have night classes back in those days) and the other was an "internship" class.  The new job could be used for college credit at the same time as working full time.  My degree at that time didn't require an internship (does now though) but his way of thinking was I get college credit and IF things don't work out I could come back the next semester and then only have 3 more semesters to finish my 4y degree.  What a nice backup plan, another easy choice for me.

I ended up HATING that job as well, but I made the best of it, with some pretty solid choices.  Probably too long to include that here, at least, but maybe in another story.  I was the last employee laid off due to a 45% reduction in the company.  Sure hated that, as I had a family to provide for, but it ended up being a blessing.  It got me away from a horrible job that I didn't want, and yet I couldn't afford to lose, which then lead to the following blessing and the amazing part of my above "choice".

I called my old boss back, being as humble as I could be, but she wasn't in.  Instead the office receptionist gave me her boss, which was the Assistant Director.  I got along with him great, and he was the guy I had told when I left, that I wish it was different circumstances but I had a family.  When we spoke I told him I was coming back to college, and knew I didn't leave on the best of terms but IF he could help me find something, anything, on campus that it would be greatly appreciated.  About 5 minutes into the conversation, not only did I have a job, but it was working for HIM instead.  I had my own office, which was a sore point for my old boss since she didn't have an office.  The job was basically keeping the computers in the office running, and helping a guy they hired develop their first internet webpage, which included eventually showing it to some very big wigs in the college.  The next 2yrs on the job, was FUN, exciting, challenging, and I learned SOOO much about many things that I would have never known.

All thanks to a few good CHOICES!!!

Now, the moral of the story is, we are all empowered with the same ability to make good or even great choices, yet I consistently see many cases of less than that.  For those of you who refuse to make a choice, quit lying to yourself, that too is a choice.  Think through your choices, analyze them, prepare for them, and never ever NOT make a choice, as often times that's the worst choice!  Regardless of which direction that choice will take you, the absence of choice ends up taking you some place too, and often times it takes you in a much worse direction.

Now you have a choice to make.  You can choose to ignore the truth in this message and go back to your previous way of life, OR you can CHOOSE to acknowledge this and prepare yourself to make better choices in your life!  The power is in your hands.........now choose.

P.S., with GREAT power, comes GREAT responsibility!!!