Past occupation – Always The Junior!

Recently received an e-mail from a friend with a crappy job, who always seems to get the crappiest parts of that job into the bargain, being the last employed there. I could sympathize well with her, as I too have been through that, as I think most of us have too!

Anyway, back, way back and in the last century too, in the early 1980's, I worked in a couple of major Supermarket Chains in their (fruit and Veggie) Produce sections, and even then, although in my early 30's, I was usually the youngest in our department and so when things were quiet, I was the one who got shifted around to other jobs in the supermarket, including the cleaning. Not one of my favourite jobs but one that does have to get done and at least I was working and showing how valuable I was even if only for being versatile.

To me, that seems to be the best philosophy when faced with situations we don’t like, but otherwise have little real control over. It may not be pleasant, and we may not want to do it forever, but it is all grist to the mill, and will show you in good steed, if not to your supervisor at least to others who do notice, as I believe it always will, if we stick at it and always give our best. Even and especially when no one is looking!

So, when and not if, but when you find yourself in a similar situation, suck it in, stick it out, put your head down and your tail up and if you can’t sail through it, at least plough through it anyway, and come out stronger and victorious because of it.

If your present job situation is never going to change, by all means look for another one, but in the meantime, keep up the present one until the right one comes along where you will be perfectly happy. (Which by the way, I have never found. With every job I have had, including this one, while I love most of it and wouldn't change it in any hurry, there are aspects that I would rather do with out.) Anyhow that is enough rambling for now. Catch you later: Walter.

What Do I Do with This?

Well I finally got around to doing something about changing jobs and start my new one on August 5. I have officially and actually finished my present job as of the end of June and having a months break. Partially because I will need them later and partially because I knew I would not have the time to answer fully or even partially some of the couple of hundred plus inquiries that would inevitably follow when the people who pass by the kiosk hear I am leaving, I had some Business Cards made up. On the Cards are my new Employer’s logo and Name, plus mine and my phone number and e-mail address, plus what time we start.

I started handing them out last week to the few who knew or overheard me say then, that I was leaving soon. As I was expecting some interesting responses, where I could and had the time, I watched their faces. Some of them were priceless. As expected, some when they found out what I will soon be doing, point blank refused to take them, a couple others, (one a little to my surprise,) took it and carefully put it in the cardholders of their wallets. However it was the greater majorities reaction that amused me most. When I receive something like that, I always look at it and then, if I haven’t outright refused it, put it in my pocket. Even if later it finds its way into a bin.

Yesterday however many, when they found out where I was going and what I was going to do, stood there briefly stunned with a look on their faces that said, “What on earth am I going to do with this? Eventually, as I said most of them took them and reluctantly put them in their pockets. But it was interesting to watch.

My purpose in giving the Card to them, was to make it easier for me to explain what I would soon be doing, because I feel it is easier to take in a strange new thought, if you have something to look at, rather than just trust your ears in a crowded situation. It was only a Business Card, but you would have thought it was something seditious by their reluctance to even accept it.

I like a bit of written information myself because I can go away and look at it later when I have more time and make a more nuanced decision, even if nine times out of ten it ends up in the Bin. What about you? Are you prepared to at least being temporary open to consider a new, or strange to you, idea? Or will you reject anything out of your ordinary experiences without even an exploratory look? What say you? Am I really the strange one Here?

Why Do You Like People So Much?

One of my “friends” at the Station recently hung around to ask me a personal question. The question was one that I have never been asked before and one I had never really thought about, and so I really couldn’t answer his question, of, “Why Do You Like People So Much?”

I am still not sure that I like people so much more than other people do; it is more that they no longer intimidate me. I told my friend that I was a very shy person but one who realized that so were most people and if you started a conversation with them, often you didn’t really have to say much before they opened up and often dominated the conversation. So in order to avoid standing around in a silent crowded group like a bunch of stunned mullets, I would usually start a conversation with something as mundane as the weather and see where it went. Usually as I said, I often found myself left out of the conversations before long as the others started conversing among themselves.

I really don’t think I am all that different to most people but I do believe in treating people, as I would like to be treated. If they respond in like manner, so well and good. If not, that is their problem not mine, and so I no longer worry about rejection or the fear of rejection and just move on to the next person.

It may sound too simple to be true but it has always worked for me and its is how I treat my customers at the Kiosk and apparently it works, because most of these customers are now friends although I only see them for a few minutes five mornings or less, a week.

I know a man who once said; “ I’m really a nice guy once people get to know me.” The problem with his view was that the impetus was then cast upon the other party to not only make the first step, but to meet him on his own terms, and not seek common middle ground.

What about you? Are you prepared to reach out to every one you meet, even if it is only with a mundane subject like the weather and try and meet them halfway, and leave the result up to them? Or will you continue to not only wait for them to make the first move, but expect them to do it on your terms? What say you?

A key KEY.

When I started at the Kiosk 3 years ago I took over from a young lass who had been there two months, who had in her turn taken over from a guy who had been there over 14 years. As each passed on their job, they also passed on their key, which unlocked the same two keyed-alike locks on the kiosk door.

As part of the second part of my job back at the main Newsagency I also visited a nearby storeroom at least once a week. For the first few months I always had to wait for someone with the key to come along and unlock it so I could do what I was supposed to do there. Then one day the manager said that I didn’t have to wait for him as my key should also unlock that lock too. And sure enough it did. In that same period of time I sometimes had to wait at the back of the main shop for the Night crew manager to come and open up; until he too said my key should also open the two padlocks on the back door. And sure enough it did.

Not long after the company changed ownership, we also changed storerooms, and a padlock was put on the door of the new storeroom, only this time I knew my key worked on it. It also had another small door at the back and it also had a padlock on it and it too worked with my key.

We had another driver, who sometimes also had to go to this storeroom but his key only worked on one lock but not the other. At this time we also got a new manager, who also got his own key. His, like the other driver’s, only worked the one lock and not the other.

Although I was just a lowly part-timer it turns out that I actually had one of the few Master keys to the place, although completely unknown to me and the new owners, manager etc. All this time I had something of great importance but did not recognise it as such. Nor was I able to take full advantage of what it offered, until it was revealed by others, who didn’t have it, but at least were able to recognise it.

If I was preaching I could make a great illustration about God out of this but for here, I will just focus on the normal things of life.

Are we always aware of exactly what we already have and are we using it to its full measure and to our and those around us’ advantage? Also I can’t help wondering how many other “Master Keys” do I already have, that I mistake for ordinary keys, and therefore am not getting full value out of them? And yourself? Are you using your own “Master Keys” to their full value, or like me are you in the dark about the full potentials of what you have at hand?

Change Is Often Scary But Not Always Bad.

In reply to an earlier blog, my friend Lynx sent this very wise observation. “Change is always scary, no matter what. To step outside of your comfort zone when the benefits aren't clear and the costs can be disastrous is harder yet. But even though sometimes disaster happens, it can be profitable in the end. Sometimes the best results don't come from effort to succeed, they come from trying to make the best of or overcome disaster.”

Many years ago (just before we left to go over seas) I worked as the second-string Handyman on a large Orchard/Packing Shed scenario.There I learnt that the guy above was good at his job, not because he never made mistakes, because he did. Much more often that I would have previously accepted from an expert.

No his skill came, not in not making mistakes, but in fixing those that he did and sometimes by doing so, as hinted above by Lynx, actually improving things more than originally planned.

So don’t be scared of change. By all means don’t rush into it before taking everything you can into account, thus minimizing many potential problems. But having done your homework and your necessary preparatory work, embrace your new task and give it your best. Don’t be put off by the fear of mistakes. Remember even the best make mistakes; it is just that they are better at fixing or covering them up.

So when you do make a mistake or things, get difficult, don’t give up or walk away. No Stick at it and fix it and not only overcome potential disaster but turn it in to success.

Sweet And Also Bitter.

Well I finally got around to doing something about changing jobs and gave my notice in, three weeks ago. Although I am only obligated to give two weeks notice, I decided, as I knew what I was doing a month ago to do the right thing and give them plenty of warning. Anyway now I only have a week to go at my old job before having a month’s break and starting my new job.

With Mum’s passing and funeral, last week and a few other things thrown in, it has been a hectic time and so with all that and the cold winter mornings of late, I have really struggled to get up at 5am for a 5.45 start this week. The more so this morning. It was then that I had the sweet thought that I only had 6 more of these early starts to go and then I could sleep in to a more respectable time.

This was then followed by the not so sweet thought that I would only have 6 more mornings at the kiosk. This is a rather bitter sweet thought, as although there are parts of my job I really won’t miss, I will miss my “Friends” down at the Station.

While I sell around 200 papers each morning, I have very few customers. Why? Because all the rest are “Friends who just happen to buy their papers etc from me.” All this is to say that while I am happy to be leaving and excited about my new job, it does come at a cost.

All change comes at a cost, but also with rewards. And some times despite the cost we need to move on or stagnate. As much as I liked most of my job, I was starting to stagnate and now the time has come to move on. Yes there will be regrets, and yes I will miss my friends, but I will make more new ones, and there is even the possibility of maintaining some of these old friends even in my new situation.

How do you see change and the people around you? Do you fear change? And do you see people as “customers” instead of as “friends”? What say you?

Why Did They Doubt And Not Believe Me?

At the kiosk where I sell daily Newspapers, I get each day what the Supervisor considers, on past records and taking into account School Holidays and Public Holidays etc, the amount he thinks I will sell that day. The amount varies from Day to day but is in the 120-160 amount each day. Usually I bring a few back and some days I sell out. If I sell out early enough to warrant more being sent up I ring up with the amount that I think I need. Although once I did get 25 sent up, it is usually between 10 to 20 that I ask for.

This particular day it was obvious very early that I was going to run out and so I rang up to get some more and asked for 40.

Instead of having to wait for someone else to clock on down there in 20 minutes time before they could be sent up, one of my irregular Chatterers offered to go down and get them for me, as it is only a couple of hundred metres away. As he offered, I accepted, as I knew he wasn’t catching a train anyway.

I had over estimated and took 10 back at the end of my shift. But boy did I cop an interrogation of what did I do with all the papers? They wanted to know if I left a bundle in my car or something? I found out later that after I rang they went out the back to see if I left a bundle behind there. They could not believe that I had really sold all those papers. Thus they tried to explain the problem away by creating a more believable answer than the truth; that for some unknown reason, that one particular day only, I really did sell that amount of papers.

What about you? Do you sometimes find it more believable to look for other reasons than accept the truth, just because that particular thing has never happened before?

Are you a habitual doubter and need to have every minor item explained and spelt out before you will accept the unusual and the unexpected?

Had I not sent the chap down to get the 40 they would only have sent about 20 up and although I never sold the full 40, I did sell 30 extra papers that day. More than they would have if I had not been supplied with the requested amount but of a much lesser one of their doubts.

How often do your doubts restrict your rewards because you don’t trust the source?

I am not saying that you should trust everyone here but if a person has been trustworthy in the past then they should be backed where possible with the unexpected. Again this will sometimes have qualifications and exceptions, but what say you? Walter

How to Fix A Noisy Fridge.

In an earlier blog, (“Noisy drink Fridge”,) I mentioned a few ways to solve the problem of a, “surprise, surprise”, noisy fridge!. One of my American friends sent me another more novel way to solve the problem and so I now share it with you.

“Walter: The noise you hear on a disfunctional fridge could be shut up by turning on the radio to a fairly loud music station. Then you won't hear the noise. This is what a lot of people are doing in America...They avoid believing they have any problems, just fill up their lives with fake stuff and think everything is okay. They ignore the "noise" and carry on, as nothing is wrong. The older they get, the more broken down they get, the more worn out, the more dysfunctional and finally they have no good use to society.”

What about you and I? I know very few of us would actually do that and turn up the Radio, but how many of us to that figuratively, all the time. We tend to try and ignore the “Noisy Fridges” around us and convince ourselves that it isn’t really noisy, just loud. We think that if we ignore them, then they will either go away or someone else will fix them before they go completely Ker plunk.

Occasionally that will happen and someone else will fix it, but more often than not, every one has the same idea of leaving it to someone else and of course no one does anything and finally a thing that often could have been repaired and relatively cheaply at that, is irretrievably lost or damaged beyond re-claim. Just like my noisy fridge, although I did try to do something about it before hand. Just not “before hand” enough, that’s all. Don’t you be guilty of the same mistake!

So in closing, what are your “Noisy fridges”? And what can, and will, you do about them, now before it is too late?

Easy When You Know How.

A little while back, the cool drink fridge at the kiosk started to make weird noises and eventually packed it in. The repairman came and assessed it as needing to be either repaired off-sight or replaced with another one. He left saying he would be in touch with the result. Eventually he got back to me that it was being replaced but didn’t know when, as that was someone else’s responsibility.

I was concerned how they were going to get it out of my “Small Hole in the Wall” for as well as its smallness it also has an immovable metre high (and almost as wide) counter. I was not looking forward to being involved in the removal of the old fridge let alone getting the new one in undamaged.

Eventually the new (reconditioned) fridge arrived with two huge guys who looked like they could play “: Prop” in a Rugby team.

Anyway they threw a heavy blanket over the counter, while I exited my “Hole”. One of them entered and moved the fridge out of its space and got on one side of it and his mate then entered on the other. They then lifted it up and placed it on the counter and spun it around so that exiting the kiosk, they then lowered it to the floor and wheeled it away and brought the new one up and replicated the previous procedure in reverse. Despite the small and confined place and the counter, what I thought would be a difficult job was easily done and done within 5 minutes. Just shows what can be done when you know how and have the right equipment. In this case a heavy blanket and two strong men who knew what they were doing.

What about us? Do we often struggle because we don’t have the proper equipment or know how, but still proceed anyhow? Sometimes we even eventually succeed but with difficulty, only to find that it would have been so much easier if we had done it properly in the first place, or sort help and/or advice beforehand. What say you? Is there something you are about to do for which you should seek expert help for? Even if it is something mundane like shifting a fridge successfully? Walter

Noisy Drink Fridge.

A little while back the cool drink fridge at the kiosk started to make a weird noise. I tried moving it and shaking it. I even gave it a couple of kicks. Yeah! I know. Real scientific mechanics hey? Anyway when all my scientific know-how failed, I did what I should have done in the first place. I rang up the owners of the fridge and a few days later their repairman came and cleaned, adjusted and whatever, to it and the noise evaporated. That was a Friday morning, but when I returned the following Monday the noise was back but not as bad. Anyway I, as soon as I got back to the main shop, reported it again.

That following Friday I opened the kiosk and the noise was not there but the motor was running loudly. Before I could ponder this, I had a customer who wanted a cold drink and so I put my hand in the fridge and grabbed what he asked for. I soon let it go again. It was not boiling but it was extremely hot. Instead of cooling, it was heating!

I did not have to report this, because shortly afterwards the repairman arrived to fix the earlier problem. He had a quick look and decided that it had to be taken away; to either be repaired off-sight or replaced with another one. He left saying he would be in touch with the result.

Later I started to wonder how many of us are like that fridge? We start to make noises that all is not well, but people don’t really listen or know how to apply the right treatment until things really get noisy and by then it is often too late. Sure like the fridge, things might go on for a little while more but things are often so bad that it all goes horribly wrong and we end up producing the opposite results to what is required of us. To those outside we may appear to be working okay but we are not.

And of course like my fridge, by then it is to late to be fixed and has to be replaced.

And like my fridge that took two weeks to replace, this can be time consuming costly and non- productive.

How’s your motor running? Does it need a check up and some on-going running repairs and maintenance? Or are you really A-okay? What say you? Walter

100 Wet people & not one complaint.

100 Wet people & not one complaint. 5/4/2007

One morning, while I was at Work in “ my little hole in the wall” (Kiosk) at the Railway Station at around 7AM, after a lot of noise and Lightening, it finally did what it has been promising to do for some time now and rained in bucket loads.

Practically every passenger arriving for the next train got soaked to the skin, as none had brought umbrellas or coats with them, like those catching the later trains did.

Yet not a single one of the hundred or so that passed me, by had a negative comment against the rain.

To a person, everyone who commented welcomed the rain and getting wet, this once at least, was not a problem. Mind you it was also a fairly warm morning too, and most would have largely dried out by the time they got to work.

Yet I still couldn’t help but marvel at how our circumstances change our views on something as simple as this.

Normally getting wet on the way to work would have upset almost all of them, but now in the middle of an 8 year drought and with our water storage down below 30%, every one was praising the rain. Instead of cursing it they were thankful for it.

Yet I couldn’t help but wonder how grateful they would be if this happened every morning for a week or more. Which brings me to my question for the day.

How do you, and I, for that matter react to things normally? Are we consistent with our reactions? I know that I would have been unhappy yesterday & any day, if I had been out in the rain, as I hate getting wet, unless I go all the way under and stay in the water.

But apart from pet hates and loves, how consistent are we with our reactions and treatment of irregular yet routine things like the weather and how people treat us? Or is all this conditional upon our moods?

Do we react the same under most conditions or are we as variable as the changing conditions?

And if we are adjustable to varying conditions, do we clearly enunciate our reasons for our varying responses to others or do leave them unclear as to our motives and changes of attitude/reaction?

In other words I guess I am asking, can people read us correctly most of the time or do they have to assess our moods every time they speak to us, or even worse, do this even before they speak to us. Over to you: Walter

Bus Driver or Bus Driver’s Supervisor. Who cares?

Recently I ran out of Newspapers to sell at the Railway Kiosk, so I rang the News Agency to get some more. Instead of having to wait for someone else to clock on down there in 20 minutes time before they could be sent up, one of my irregular Chatterers offered to go down and get them for me, as it is only a couple of hundred metres away. As he offered, I accepted, as I knew he wasn’t catching a train anyway. So talking on the phone to the News Agency and describing the guy I was sending down to get the papers, I made the mistake of calling him a Bus Driver. To which, having overheard it, he indignantly but graciously, complained, “Bus Driver? I’m not a Bus Driver!”

I ignored him on the phone and having hung up sent the “non” bus driver down to pick up the papers.

When he returned, I told him that I was having enough trouble with the guy on the other end as it was and I didn’t think he would have got the subtlety between a bus Driver and a Supervisor of Bus Drivers and thus used the easiest option. Being a good bloke and a good friend, he quite happily accepted that, but again I was left pondering the importance of my/our use of words, both in regards to people’s desired reference, but even to their job title’s

To the guy at the News Agency it would have been confusing, to me it was irrelevant, but to him, it was very important. So to answer my question at the top; He cares, that’s who! As he cares, therefore so do I! Do you?

Yes! Do you care whether you offend others by getting their job Titles wrong? Or worse, do you get offended when others get your job title mucked up? Is it really that important that they get your job description right? Or is better simply for you to do your job to the best of your ability irregardless of what others call you or think of your title? Over to you: Walter

Do Have A Go.

Recently I was asked by a Workmate to write a reference for him to be used as a character reference in regard to some legal problems he is having.

Although we don’t actually work in the same section, there is a certain amount of overlap in both duties and communication. And on more than one occasion I have had to directly call upon him for help and assistance. Sometimes outside of his required duties and obligations!

So although I don’t really know him that well, I felt I really could not refuse him, although I did try, by suggesting that he get his Supervisor to write it. He replied by saying he was getting him to write one too but wanted as many as he could get.

Later when I spoke to the Supervisor, he tried to get out of writing one by saying I could write one for the both of us. I told him that it would be better coming from his immediate supervisor, and especially as he knew him better than me.. He then replied that he had never done one before and wouldn’t know what to write. So I gave him some general pointers and encouraged him to have a go.

The character references were wanted for two days later and so on that day I was not surprised when the Supervisor showed me his Reference immediately upon my arrival. He wanted me to have a look before he passed it on to the one who required it.

I took a quick look at it and wondered whether I should tear it up. Either that or tear mine up! His was brilliant. It covered all that had to be covered and he did it well without gilding the Lilley at all.

For a so-called amateur, he made this so-called semi professional look like a real beginner on his first day at school.

All of this is not to disparage me but to encourage you to just have a go when you are asked to do something new. I am not talking about anything specific here, but if someone has enough faith in you to ask you to try something, then give it a go if it is at all possible for you. Now, you may not feel it is your gift or area of expertise, but if asked, at least give it a go.

It may be that your efforts will more often resemble mine than the Supervisors. But it is equally possibly that your efforts may be far, far better than you think, and rather than being an embarrassment to you, may very well be a very real help to the receiver. And often a help that they can’t get from others.

How about it? Will you give it a go? (Whatever “IT” is!) Please do. Walter