I was recently giving a presentation to a group of apprentices and new starters on my career path and what I've learnt along the way.
To this day I believe
the most prominent one for teaching a know-it-all teenager about life and people was being a cashier in a petrol station.
It was relentless, a busy station which had a constant flow of customers right through a ten hour shift.
It it was monotonous, tiring and one minute you
got a smile and a hello to the next where you were called all the names under the sun because someone had to wait more than 5 min in the queue to be served.
I met famous people, lords, ladies right across to drunkards and drug users.
I went in the space of three years from a shy chap who kept
himself to himself to having the confidence to strike up a conversation with anyone at any 'level'.
In fact, a daily game I played was to get the grumpy regular chap who seemed to dislike all humans to smile. It took 2 years but I got there (and a goodbye card when I left!).
I taught myself to
remember names, built up a good bank of opening lines and honed my ability a to read a persons mood and personality type...most of the time!
I had a job to do so I did it the best I could.
This was the greatest lesson:
'Do your job...whatever it is...and do it well!'
Whether cleaning a secondary school, stables, kennels or treadmills at the gym over the rest of my career I did the best I could and then better the next day.
Your 'job' is what you are doing right NOW!
Now I try to be the best I can at all my 'jobs'.
We can only do one thing at a time so try to do that one thing
so well that you are proud of the result.
Whether it it is the squat you are doing or a slide for a project at work, follow on course until complete and move to the next part.
I'll never forget the reaction I got from the room of apprentices..a couple of them turned round
and said they had never thought that way about a 'job'.
The job they had currently, to them, felt below other people's and one even said that maybe he should stop being so 'entitlement minded' and work on being the best out of his colleagues.
Just
like fitness and health gains, work each increment to the maximum and take pride in EVERY step.
J
