It Sucks To Be Him!

Well, in the past I've talked to you about having patience and I thought this was an area of my life that I had mastered, I WAS WRONG! On Tuesday I had just got done delivering and stocking the bread at my last store, it was a long day that started at 11pm the night before. By the time I walked out of the store that morning it was 9 am and I was tired and ready to go home. I thought I could just get in my truck and drive off, but boy was I wrong! The store I was at is in downtown Milwaukee so to deliver there you have to go underneath a parking structure. When I got out to the truck I saw there was a 7 UP truck blocking the entrance to the structure, I've put a picture here for you to see. Instead of pulling out straight, he tried to leave at angle getting his forks caught on the cement. He tried and tried to leave but he was completely stuck causing the rest of his that were beneath the structure to have to wait, in the end I waited for 2 hours! While he was trying to break the truck free, the other vendor's and I were getting more and more angry at the situation and eventually at the driver. "We all just wanted to leave but this guy ruined it by being dumb", was at we said and thought. The tow truck guy came (without a tow truck) and did some kind of maneuver that released air and got his forks high enough to get out, it was finally over! The very next day I was still a little angry until I saw something that put things into perspective, I've put the link here: http://t.co/qA3fyKB. I thought I had learned patience but I still needed a real life lesson and I wanted to share with you what I learned. It's simply this: put yourself in the other persons shoes. 

I was mad I had to wait but what would it have been like to have your semi stuck with a bunch of angry vendors and other cars ready to rip your head off! After I thought about things I was disappointed with my reaction, I should have been more helpful and understanding to that guy.

Next time your in a situation that requires patience, try and put yourself in the other persons shoes and that should put things into perspective. Maybe then we'll react the right way.

I've really seen first hand, that with all these issues of life that it's a learning process, the key is to open your eyes and truly learn the lessons. All of us should try and grow from these situations together because that's the only way we'll ever truly change. What situations have you gone through where you needed a little perspective? Tell me about them, it will help us all!

First Things First

Have you ever felt like 24 hours in a day is just not enough time? Think about it for a minute, how many different things do you have going on in your life right now? We, as a group of people, are very busy. So what should take priority? How do you decide what comes first? I deliver bread for a living and on the days that I work, it usually is a 10 to 12 hour day. Right when I get home, feeling like the living dead, my 3 kids and my wife usual need my immediate attention. They haven't seen me for 12 hours, so there's a lot to catch up on, is this the same way for you? I have work, family, church, my writing and blogging, friends, chores, errands, and life! It truly can be overwhelming! As I've been thinking about all of this the last few days, I've tried to put it all into perspective and put first things first. You cant let the balance of your life shift to far into any one direction.
  -For me, God has to come first, next is my family. Everything else I can plan out and work out, but those other things have to fall into second place. I use to make the mistake of trying to make my family time and my time with God fit into the rest of my life.
 - For example: I would get around to reading my Bible after I did the 13 other things I had to do that day. Sometimes it would go past my bed time and guess what, no time to read the Bible today, I'll make it up tomorrow (if I have time).
 - Any kind of activity my kids had at school, like a play or concert, would only happen if I got my nap for the day or if I didn't have to deliver as much bread the next day. It took a swift kick in the face from a friend for me to realize that every morning before I do anything I need to read my bible and pray. Next, any kind of activity that my kids had, or an event that my wife wanted me to go to, I was going to go!
 - If I have to deliver less bread or if I had to start work later so I could participate in these activities, that's what I have to do. The time we have here on earth is very precious and you have to place the most important things first. Everything else will have to fit into place with those priorities, not the other way around. Who or What has first place in your life? Who or What has the priority with your time? Based on your answers to the first two questions, what changes do you need to make?

What are you afraid of?

As I'm delivering bread everyday I hear other vendor's tell me how they thought about buying into the company where I'm at but never wanted to take the risks. They give the usual reasons for not wanting to get into self-employment, no insurance, no benefits, no job security. They try to convince me that they made the smart decision by staying at the company they work for and I almost buy it. The reason I don't believe them is that little hesitation they give when talking about it, that little something in their voice that tells me even they don't believe what their saying. When it's all said and done we have to look at the end result, most of them are at a $50,000 a year job with benefits and the whole nine, but the guys that bought into the company I'm at (it's like a franchise situation) are in the $150,000 gross range. Now to be fair you have to take out the expenses, but even after you do, it's still a lot more money, and as far as job security goes: NO ONE HAS ANY JOB SECURITY ANYMORE! The reason why they never took that risk and the reason why we stay at the jobs we dislike is because of FEAR. The biggest fear we have is not being able to pay our bills, and it's a legitimate fear. I have 3 kids and a wife, cars, rent, phones and everything else you have, and the reason I don't just walk off and quit my job is the fear of not being able to pay those bills. Let me start off by saying, and I've said it numerous times, when you decide to move on to that job you love, you must have a plan. Having a well thought out plan will take your fear back done to level 2, and calm your scared to deaf spouse as well. In any move that you make, you must have the support of your partner, otherwise your doomed for failure right from the start, us guys can't properly function without our "better half". Next, as a practical matter, have an emergency fund saved up. I don't know what your amount should be, but have some money put aside in case of that unforeseen emergency. Even those of you who think you have a "secure job", hope for the best but plan for the worst! In moving on to the job you'll love, take a little of the fear out by planning, being organized and having that support from the one you love. Have a little cash as a fall back plan in case you meet any bumps in the road. People assume that if they move on to the work they really want to do, they'll make less money, why assume that? Just from a sheer numbers perspective, you have a 50/50 chance of making more then you make now! Chances are you will make more money because if your doing that job you love, you'll be the best at it, you'll give that little bit of extra effort that will put you over the top. What are the fears that keep you from moving on in your life? Are they legitimate or are they bigger in your mind then they should be? Have you talked it over with your loved one's? This is the best time in the world to move on because deep down inside you, you know you have what it takes! Why are you still standing around? Hurry up and get to work, it's time to move on to your true calling!  I'll see you there!!!!

Do you still dream?

Do you remember when you were a little kid and you would dream about your future? I remember reading a lot as a kid, and always wanted to have "my own book". Do you remember how you had a lot of the details of your future planned out? Those were the days (right!) no worries, no car payments and cell phone bills, just you running around in your "police" uniform chasing bad guys (your dog or cat). Obviously, we grow up and have the responsibilities of life, but what happened to our dreams along the way? When you were a kid some of your dreams might have been a little skewed (Spaceman, superhero) but those dreams should be the basis for figuring out what your dream work situation should be now. I always wanted to write (that's what I'm transitioning to now), what was the one thing you always wanted to do? Think long and hard about those dreams, once you have, do they match up to who you are now? I bet their pretty close. This is the key: once you've figured those dreams out, and you know what you want to do with your life, create a transition plan. A wise man said "a dream without a timetable attached to it is a pipe dream". We can't stop dreaming, sometimes it's the only thing that gets us through jobs that we hate, but we have to have a plan to make that dream a reality. What's you dream? You can leave comments below:

"To be honest with you...."

Have you ever used the expression: "to be honest with you"? Every time I hear someone say this to me, I think their about to lie to me. This little expression has been ringing out in my mind which has brought me to today's post: Integrity. This is the question I want to leave in your mind, what do you do at your job or business when no one is looking? When I was 18 years old I worked for a major soda company (the one that has a very popular green soda that has a lot of caffeine), my job was to go to grocery stores and take the soda from the back rooms of the store's and put it on the self in the soda section. There was little supervision in those day, they now use GPS technology, so a group of us would go to the warehouse, punch in, say we were going to the store's but instead we went home for 10 hours. We wouldn't even go to the store at all, then we would go back to the warehouse punch out and we would receive a paycheck every week for basically no work. Now some of you will read this and think I would never do anything like that but let me ask you: what other way's are you stealing from your company? Do you sit and talk on the clock dealing with your personal business and nothing related to work? Do you use the company computer to look at your Facebook account at work when you should be working? Do you steal supplies from the company? Do you steal products from the company (chips, bread, cakes)? In the example I gave you earlier I was completely wrong for what I did, and if you're stealing in any way, then so are you. I'm not sitting here trying to give a plug for these big companies that we sometimes hate, but if your working there, no one put a gun to your head and told you that you have to stay there. Our work at the companies were at is by choice, so we have no excuse! Even if you say "this company I work for is greedy and ruthless", your not the moral police. I admit that work place integrity is an issue that I have probably struggled with all my working life, but I'm making the necessary changes now! A friend of mine likes to say; "never let them see you sweat" by stealing or being dishonest, that's exactly what your doing. The goal as a everyday working man and woman is to improve every area of our life so we can move on to the next level in our growth. In the end, I have truly found this out in my life, the truth always comes out and that thing that you stole or that time you stole, is not worth putting your family through the stress of you loosing your job! TRUST ME, I've been there! Let's all grow in every area of our life together, that's how we can change this world!

Educate Your Children!

This post is an early father's day present to all the dad's, single dad's and moms who have both the role of mother and father. If you are in a job or business that your not happy with or suited for, then one of your primary responsibilities is to educate your children! When their little and they tell you they want to be a policeman or firefighter or even the President of the United States, DON'T EVER DISCOURAGE THEM FROM THEIR DREAMS! Where would you be right now at this point in your life if you had the proper encouragement growing up? Would you still be at that job you hate? It's our job as an everyday working parent to steer our kids away from the path we went down., isn't it natural to want more for your kids then we ever had? Teach them to shoot for the stars and never look back, teach them to ignore all those people that will put them down and try to stand in their way. Teach them that society, the news and even their friends are liar's when they tell them that what they want to do is impossible! It's all possible, our minds just make it seem impossible, don't follow your mind follow your heart! If you are blessed enough to be at a job or business you love, educate your children about that as well. Let them see that smile on your face the night before when you think of going to that job or business you love! Educate your children and help them in anyway you can, make any sacrifices to put them on the path of their true calling in life. And as always, the best way to educate them is to lead by example, so if you're in a job that you hate, MAKE PLANS TO MOVE ON TODAY!

Get Involved!!

If you've liked what you read so far, get involved by becoming a follower of this blog and our other blog (everydayparentforlife.blogspot.com). Also I do this to hear your feed back as well, so please make comments! Your comments help me learn as well. GET INVOLVED!

It's all connected!

For most of us, we spend 40 hours of our week at work, if you own a business, you might spend double that amount of time building your business. If your at a work situation that you don't like, you might spend a good amount of that time dreaming about the moment when you can be done and forget that you even work at that job. Is this you? We (me included) assume that once we punch out for the day that whatever feelings we have towards that work situation, we can just leave them at work and not carry them over to our home life. I have to tell you, this is completely FALSE! Have you ever had a negative experience at work with another coworker or maybe your boss? We all have. Do you tell yourself once works over that it was stupid and your over it, you get home, see your family and your a little more subdued then normal? You go throughout the day and your significant other might ask you more then once, what's wrong? You say nothing, not realizing that your just letting that anger build you inside, and eventually, BOOM!! In the end you take it out on someone who doesn't deserve it, it's all connected. You can't separate what happens for the beginning 8 hours of your day with the rest of your day. If you had a negative situation that day, talk it out with your significant other, or a good friend, don't hold on to it, then explode, vent. If the problem is bigger then just one incident, like your at a job you absolutely hate, MAKE PLANS TO MOVE ON! I mentioned in my previous post the opportunities of starting your own business, or maybe move to a different company that you really like. I've said it a lot, but it's worth repeating, 40 hours a week is too long to spend doing something you don't like or don't believe in! If what I've talked about is a daily occurrence for you, then make a definite plan today to start moving on, but before you jump right back into the same situation, figure out what you would love to wake up everyday and do. If you've been following this blog and haven't done it already, start the process of figuring out your true calling in life, your vocation. Why wait when opportunities all around us! Doing work you love is not just a pipe dream, people all around us are experiencing this everyday!

15% unemployment!

Someone close to me called me recently to tell me that they have been following my blog and are really proud of the fact that I've found a good "hobby". They told me that I might want to tone it down because while people would like to have a job they love, it's just not possible with 9% unemployment in our economy (they saw a story on CNN). Before I got a chance to respond, this person called me to say that they saw another story that stated the actual unemployment rate is more like 15% (they saw another story on some other news channel). My response was SO WHAT!!! Even with 15% unemployment there are still companies willing to hire, their just looking for the right people, and those right people aren't the one's with the negative attitudes because they've been watching cable news. Our economy has changed and we must change with it. You can't get a traditional job? Why not work for yourself? "The economy's bad, you can't start a business", really? This is the best time to start a business because there's very little competition out there because everyone else is to busy watching and believing cable news. Here, let me give you one idea right now: do you have a lawn mower, can you borrow one? Get one and start "So and So lawn service". Can you do odd work around someones house? You just became "All Purpose Handy Service". I read a story about a 14 year old kid who wanted to make a little extra money for the summer doing all sort's of odd jobs around someones house. He went to a 450 home subdivision and worked it all summer, when it was all said and done, he made $10,000 in 3 months, why can't that be you? There's work out there for those that are willing to do whatever it takes, the days of the laid back, easy jobs are over, wake up and smell the opportunity! The question I'll leave you with is, do you agree with that person close to me because you guys watch the same always negative news cast? Or are you like that 14 year kid who wasn't afraid to do some hard work to achieve a goal? When that 14 year old kid grows up he probably end up being a millionaire and if you are that negative person, you'll still be on the couch watching him on that news cast you love so much!

A healthy risk or just plain stupidity!

I got an email from a guy who told me that he has been reading my blog and he was inspired. He said he was at a job he hated (McDonald's) so being inspired to do a job he actually loved, he quit the next day! I started this blog to inspire people and wake people up to the fact that 40 hours a week is too long to spend doing something you don't like, with the eventual goal of moving on to a job or business you actually love. I want to be clear about the process. Once you have identified what or where you should be, you have to have an exit strategy, DON'T JUST QUIT YOUR JOB! It's not a calculated risk, it's just plain stupid. Make a solid step by step plan giving yourself a timetable, a plan without a timetable attached to it, is just a pipe dream. If you are in a position to leave sooner, still don't burn any bridges, you don't want to put yourself in a corner with little hope of getting out. If you are reading this chances are that you are at a job or business you don't like or maybe it's just not suited for you. We've made it through this long, just stick it out with the sight of the finish line in the distance! If you are somewhere you don't like and haven't started making any plans, what are you waiting for? The guy at McDonald's lives at home and has very little bills (he's 19) so he's probably going to be OK, but don't make a mistake and set yourself up for failure by not having a plan!

One more look back

A couple of days ago I went to get some food at KFC. I went to the drive through and waited for what seemed like forever (2 minutes), so I drove around to walk into the restaurant. When I got into the restaurant, there was a huge line (3 people). I waited and waited forever (2 minutes) and got fed up and left! I'm being honest about my experience to talk about patience. This is the one thought I want to leave with you this post: when doing a work related task, or personal task, or any kind of project, after your finished and are ready to move on to the next thing, take one more look at your work. I think as a group of people, myself included, we are generally impatient. Take the extra few minutes to double check your work and see if there is that one thing you missed. I did this very thing at work this morning and corrected 3 mistakes by going back to double check my work. You never know how this will affect you, your boss might be considering giving you a raise and this might just be the extra thing that gets you one. Double checking your work might also keep your boss from firing you if you have been messing up lately. Looking back at a task or errand that you did at home might save you from having to call a professional!  Like determination, patience is a quality we all should strive for, I do daily and hope you will to. We might never reach perfection, but taking one more look back might get us one step closer!

Determination- easier said, then done

"I'm going to lose 20 pounds this month". "I'm going to finish that project at work". "I'm going to do that thing that I've been putting off". That drive that propels you to get all these things accomplished is determination, you probably already know this. I'd like to submit one thought to you: Determination without a plan is a recipe for failure! You may be determined to lose 20 pounds, but if you don't hit the gym or diet, you may gain weight. You may be determined to do those things you've been putting off, but if you don't have a plan, you might not even know what all of those things are. If there are things in your life right know that you are determined to get accomplished, plan them out today! Are they goal's for this week? Are they goal's for this month? Are they goal's for this year? As an every day workingman spending 40 hours of our week at work, it's hard to have determination, it's hard sometimes to even have the energy. So the plan is a very important part of the equation. Sit down today, make a list of different things you are determined to see done, plan them out giving yourself a solid timeline. And my hope is, after following this blog, that one thing you're determined for this year is to move on to work that you actual enjoy!

Pulled apart from every direction!!

As an everyday working man or woman it seems like your constantly being pulled apart from every direction! At work, your boss seems to "miss" the 99 things you did right to focus on the 1 thing you made a mistake on, "hey buddy, I'm not perfect"! At home, whoops I'm at home? I was suppose to stop at the gym before I got home, looks like I'm staying fat today! At home, your kids require your immediate attention because they've been waiting all day to talk to you, your husband or wife needs the same! You have a 100 different errands to run, not to mention all the projects around the house! Don't forget to get those fiances in order, you got to get the mortgage payment out today, your already 1 month behind! You look at all this everyday and want to scream: AAAAHHHH!!! We've all heard the expression that when it rains, it pours? It's just all in our minds. As an everyday working man or woman we are faced with these things everyday, but instead of screaming or going crazy, let's try a different approach. As these things happen, let's try to stop for a minute, take a deep breath and tackle them one at a time. You need more help, take out your I pod or whatever you use, and listen to your favorite song and decompress. If your a Christian, like I am, you pray and ask for God's peace. For that complaining boss, my friend always says: "never let them see you sweat". If you miss that day at the gym, you'll workout twice as hard tomorrow. For the wife or husband and kids, you remember that you do it all for them and you give them every moment they need. Send out the bills. Tackle the errands one at a time. You miss them today, there's always tomorrow! It's all in your mind so don't give in!! Over come these things, learn from them, and grow from them, that's all you can do. Or I guess you can give in and go crazy! GOOD LUCK EITHER WAY!

Time- your best friend or your worst enemy

If you have been following my blog, I dedicated the next few posts to answer email questions. I have to detour a little for something that's been burning on my mind. As you know, there are 168 hours in a week. Let's take off 56 hours for sleep (assuming you get 8 hours a night of sleep, most of us don't). Let's also take off 50 hours for work (Most people work 40 hours, but let's say 50 to account for overtime), that leaves you 62 hours a week. The burning question is what do you do with your extra time? This question has been burning in my mind because I read a report that the average American watches 34.5 hours a week of TV, REALLY??? If we dedicated 34.5 hours a week to figure out what we want to be when we grow up, and then attack that goal, how long would it take to accomplish it? I'm guessing not very long. As an everyday working man or woman it's easy to have a hard day at work and come home and just want to veg out, I've done it. The problem is life is to short to waste any of those hours! Are you using your spare time to do everything you want to do? If your a parent, do you ignore your kids for your favorite show? When was the last time you read a good book, not fiction, something that would help improve your life? And let me just close with this: If your at a job or business that you constantly need to decompress from, what are you still doing there? Could you use any of those 62 hours to break free? Only you can answer that! I've found personal the answer is yes, and I hope you will to. Please feel free to get involved by becoming a follower of this blog, leaving comments, and telling everyone you know to check it out!

You will always have questions

As I've been writing this blog, I've had many questions from a lot of people, GREAT! It's been my goal through this to first, get people interested in my book when it comes out. Second, to open your mind and show you it's possible for you to wake up everyday and not have to go to a place you hate! The problem is not, that's where most of us are at, the problem is most of us are content to stay there, SAD! The most common questions are: How do I figure out what I love to do? Next: How can I start doing that? Third: Will I make less money? I'd like to take the next few post to answer these questions. First let me say right off the bat, that I'm no expert on anything, just ask my wife. The title of this blog is everyday working man because that's what I am, I'm one of you. So when I talk about anything or answer questions, it's from that perspective. Figuring out what it is you love to do is a very personal process. My advice is to start very basic: when you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? You have to take a lot of time to examine what your natural good at, what do you enjoy, and how does it fit with your personality. Even after you read this take some time to "figure yourself out", then once you've done that, you can look at what companies would be a good match for you. Or maybe you would be more suited to start your own business. For me personal, this process brought me exactly here, writing. Stay tuned for more answers!