Become An Asset

Hello Friends,

Hope everyone is well. I am very thankful for the parents that I have. I can feel their thoughts, knowing that they are praying for me everyday. To this day, there are things that I still won't do as a result of the whoopings I received back when I was a child. As I look back at it now I am thankful for the "love" taps that I got, because I do know now that everything that they did was out of love.

Todays quote comes from my Father. I remember I was thirteen getting ready for my first day at my first job. I was going to be a prep-cook which meant I would basically be cutting vegetables all day. Not exciting work but the thought of having my own money to buy my own sneakers is what I was looking forward too. I didn't grow up rich in terms of money so having the name brand sneakers was usually out of the question. When I look back at what he said, I now know that he was giving me the foundation for becoming rich. Here's what my Father said...

"Do your job to the best of your ability. Better than anyone else. If you are done with your job, ask the supervisor what else could be done. Don't stand around and wait for someone to tell you what to do. You seek out a new task and do it."

These are words that I still adhere to. My Dad was teaching me how to make myself an asset to that company. It is a good way to approach a job situation. When you perform your job to the best of your ability people notice. You may think no one is looking but they always are. I try to build a reputation as someone who is hard working, organized, and dependable. Whatever job I've had I've always been given promotions very quickly. I went from being a prep-cook, to line cook, and also tended the cash register from time to time. All this at thirteen. Who lets a thirteen year old run a cash register for a huge cafeteria?

The reason I was able to do all those jobs was because I always asked what I could do next. So eventually, they let me do some of the cooking. When our regular cook was sick, at thirteen, I was able to fill in. When the Glenda, the lady who ran the register was sick, I was able to step in. We didn't tell our boss, but she taught me how to use the register so she could go take cigarette breaks. When the opportunity was there I was able to step in. (Remember what we talked about yesterday)

I had become an asset to that company. I could do any job that they needed me to do. It was good for me because it kept me working during the summer and Christmas breaks. It was good for the company because they didn't have to outsource any help if someone was sick, because I was there. It got to the point where the other cafeterias that were run by the same company were competing for my services as soon as it was summer.

I still push myself to be the best at my job. I can perform any duty that they need me to. I want my employer to feel that they don't have to worry about me because they know I'm doing my work and doing it well. You will also start to see that you will attract better opportunities. The most important thing to remember is to be ready when opportunity knocks. I'm making sure I'm ready for my next big opportunity. How about you?

Thanks for listening.