Week 1 aka hell and back

Alright guys sorry this is sporadic and random, but you have to keep in mind that all I'm thinking about is going to bed when I write these. They are basically just quick highlights from the day. Enjoy.

Well on my way down, or I guess I should say up to New York, I hated life. I mean honestly, the drive did suck. However my stops along the way turned out really cool. I got to stop in Cincinnati to eat a meal Tyler owed me at P.F. Chang’s. It was really good. It was also funny to hear how they were living with each other and sounded like they were in a relationship. Anyway, then one of my sister’s friends let us stay at her place so we wouldn’t have to buy a hotel room. So that was awesome. I did happen to have a slight run with some car problems. Actually they were more human error than anything. The first happened near Cleveland. The traffic was stop and go and realllly slow. I reached down to get my sales talk and then felt a little bump…Yeah I was all up on the car in front of me. Thankfully we weren’t moving fast and the guy was really cool about it. There didn’t appear to be any mechanical damage, just really light scratches on my bumper. I’m not sure you could see any on his. Mine is barely noticeable though. Then at a rest stop I was parked near a sidewalk. As I was backing out and pulling away my front left tire popped up, then shortly after the rear did also. I then realized that I had just run up on the curb. Again, thankfully no damage. When I finally arrived at the house in Troy, NY, I got to meet Beth. She is the kind lady that is opening up her house to us so we don’t have to have an apartment. I drove around for a while trying to get a feel for the town of Troy and the surrounding area. I’ll be working in a town called Mechanicville, and it is going to be a blast. That’s all for now.

5-20

Today was my first day out in the field. Luckily I got to follow Travis and continue to expand my knowledge in how to sell these books. We start everyday eating breakfast together at a place called Mannery’s. It was established in 1913 and has great breakfast foods. Then we do some crazy inspirational dances in a nearby bank parking lot. They are called execs and just get our adrenaline pumping. Then I headed out with Travis to his area called Colonie.

The first day is obviously kind of slow because you are in a brand new area. We began by meeting a great man named Frank. He was older, but very helpful in getting us off to a good start. He was kind, like many people we met today and was willing to help us out. We also met some unfriendly people, but I mean you can’t blame them. Half of the people thought we were just pestering the neighborhood not helping their kids out with their schoolwork.

It became very apparent to me that if you wanted to just make a lot of money this summer, then it would prove to be a very difficult summer. People may begin by doing that, but to truly grow and learn from this job, you need to make it about the people. Travis showed that by just continually praying and talking with God throughout our day. He would pray for people we talked to, others in our group, and a lot for himself. Not that he would be successful, but that God would shine through him and for people to be blessed through Travis. This showed me what kind of a mindset you have to have. You can’t control who’s going to be nice or not, but you can be nice to them as much as possible. Generally if you were polite to people they would be polite to you. Even if they weren’t interested, they still treated us with respect. It was great. That’s all I feel like writing about tonight. I want some sleep because tomorrow is my first real day. Pray for me. No really I’m gonna need it.

5-21

Well today was my official first day. Wow. If you don’t feel completely useless, lonely, pissed off, and sad all the same time, then I salute you. I did feel all of those things today. I wasted gas, time, and money. The thing that helps the most is knowing the amount of support I have. My parents first are foremost are there. They always have been and they will continue to be, because that’s how awesome they are. My fellow workers here and my group leader, Travis also keep my spirits lifted. Things only get better with practice, and I believe that. So much so that I’m going to go practice sleeping. My first sale was with a great guy named Kyle Lloyd. Everything that could go wrong did, but somehow he still bought the books from me. Amazing. .

5-22

So today was basically a pity party for myself. Even though I had 30 contacts, contacts are talking to people that actually have children, and 2 presentations, my attitude today sucked. I was just brushing my teeth in the bathroom and re-realized that this job is not about me. It’s not about the money I make, God blesses me with money at the end if I really connect with other people and show them kindness and patience. This week my goals are to see 30 people, get through my sales talk (without leaving out parts), and to work until 9. If I do those things for 3 weeks, then it will become easier for me. Until that time, I just have to tough things out. I found today that driving to a spot and then parking does me better than just driving house to house. It’s like I told Matt tonight: When you run a race and you slow down and walk, it is a lot tougher to motivate yourself to run again. So why put myself in a spot where I’m comfortable. This summer is about growing and doing uncomfortable things. That’s how I’ll form truly good character and discipline. In the words of Bone Thugs and Harmony “Ain’t nothing come easy. You gotta try real, real hard.”

5-23

Wow, what a day today. It was tough, but I’m slowly but surely seeing the changes that are happening in my life. For example, I’ll be honest, after I got off the phone with my parents and just balled my eyes out. My mom told me to let my prayer be that if God wanted me to stay there then I needed help. After that little emotional episode I decided to go to Dunkin’ Donuts and get a boston crème filled donut. Turns out that they were out of those so I settled for a jelly donut. The funny thing was that the guy just held out the bag out the window and told me to have a good night. Yep that’s right, he hooked me up with not one, but two free donuts. What a way to end the night. It was like God was saying, there you go. How’s that for a clear sign. God really is amazing. I slept well that night knowing for sure that God exists. Without him, my family, and the people I work with, this job would prove to be an extremely difficult job.

5-24

Saturday is supposed to be all day Gravy. Gravy is usually like the time from 5-9 when parents get home from work, and basically it’s just better because people are home so you can talk to them. Well this Saturday was tough because I think it’s odd to talk with people about sales on the day they have off. I found that almost every time I talked with someone outside while they were working in their yard that I got denied pretty much every time. So I’m going to try to only catch those families that are in their house. Dinner time is kind of tough to go knocking on doors also. It is very much outside my comfort zone to interrupt. It just feels rude. But anyway, we also had to fill out our BAR’s which are business activities reports. These help us keep track of what we need to order, our expenses, mileage, and that kind of stuff. Our goal as far as hours goes is to work at least 75 hours a week, have 30 contacts a day. That’s it. If we get in the habit of doing those things then we will make money by the end of the summer. This job works 100% of the time, but only if we put in the hours.

The Brave, New World

So i've never read that book, but i figure hey it sounds pretty much like what i'm doing this summer. I just finished sales school in Nashville and Sunday I'll be traveling either up the Western, KY pkwy or the Bluegrass Pkwy. It will be a looong freaking drive. Then Monday I have to try my first sale. I'll be staying near albany. I believe the town is called Mechanicville...no joke. Sounds like the town for me huh? Like I said this is brand new experience, but here's what I think is funny.

My sisters both attended Camp Greystone. During those summers they got talks about how important their attitudes were and that the you choose your own attitude. It all depends on the choices you make. Even though I attended that camp for several years, I never really got that. Now I understand how much control I have in my choices. This summer is going to be awesome because I want it to be. Sure it's going to be tough, I mean there is a 95% rejection rate. However, that 5% of success gets you some pretty good money. You have to learn not to take things personally. There's so much more I could say, but I don't have time. Brotherly duties of helping my sister get married are keeping me busy :). Keep me in your prayers this summer please.

Here's a cool quote: "I am as good as any other person, but no better."