This blog is dedicated to finding, sharing and discussing a variety of topics around the struggles our clients and audience go through. Each episode we discuss a key concept that many humans struggle with. To give you a variety of perspectives for you to see the concept through so you can find one that makes it feel easier to deal with.
And if you prefer to listen, this episode is available as a Podcast or a Video.
Let Me Tell You A Story…
Instead of my usual blog posts with lots of information for you to read and use in your life, today I want to tell you a story. And this story is also being written / read / told live every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30pm GMT on (hopefully!) YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn between 12th November and 24th December. Click these links to subscribe and join us for the next instalment!
Stories have been used for centuries to share wisdom and ideas within our species. And this idea for this particular story came to me a few months ago as a way of sharing some new ideas with people that can improve their life.
I find stories are the best way to get a message across. It is why we like to read books, watch TV series and films. Because stories are a great way to share a message by inviting the reader / watcher / listener to be a part of the story. To become the character in their imagination.
And that’s what this story will do. It will invite you to become the main character, Morgan, and become the hero / heroine of the story!
There will 13 chapters and this will constitute the first draft of this story before I send it to publishers and become a published author. Which has always been a dream of mine! So thankyou to you for joining me and holding me to account to get this planned, written, shared, edited and finally published! Without you, I would probably let myself off the hook (like I have effectively been doing all year since the idea came to me!) and this would never get done.
So I hope you enjoy these 13 blog posts, and if you want to send me any ideas or ask any questions to guide the story or to make it make more sense to you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now let us dive straight in…
Read Chapter One HERE.
Chapter Two is HERE.
See Chapter Three HERE.
Chapter Four is HERE.
CHAPTER FIVE– When The World Gives You Lemons
The last two weeks of life for me have been the best I can remember in a long, long time. The day job just plodded along. I hit the deadlines with time to spare. A few people left. A few others continue to discuss leaving and how disgruntled they are with the whole thing… But still stay put and continue doing the bare minimum required of them while Bob fills in the gaps and is as busy as ever. Do you have people like that in where you work?
I even got to work early every day! No more being late for me! My mornings aren’t so sluggish and there is no more refusal to get up. I feel energised at the thought of getting up every morning. And I haven’t had any arguments with wobbly paving slabs or piles of dog poo!
The coffee shop job is simply amazing. I have done about 6 or 7 shifts in the past two weeks. Everyone is so friendly, even when I make a mistake, or a coffee isn’t made exactly how someone wanted it they have even complained nicely! The older gentleman who gave me the book Think and Grow Rich comes in every Sunday and has even started trying some different drinks and different combinations. The owner is astounded as they’ve been offering him different things for years! But the gentleman simply says he is letting me experiment and grow my skills, and still prefers his usual order.
I was even trusted to run the whole Sunday morning shift alone yesterday!
So I got there early to ensure everything was set up, opened up on time, and got lots of compliments and happy customers until the owner arrived shortly after lunch. I even got a bonus that day for the extra work! It is so amazing, and I feel so proud of myself for taking this big step and following it through.
I have also finished reading You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. I did start to read Think and Grow Rich, but I got a bit overwhelmed and remembered the other library books I borrowed so I went back to those as they had been recommended by my friend, and also the library would want them back at some point!
The two by Neville Goddard? They were quite hard for me to get my head around. All felt a bit too religious, if I’m honest. But I could see the similarities between the Badass book and what Goddard was talking about and I can definitely see a shift in myself.
When I started to read Atomic Habits by James Clear I simply could not put it down! I took it to work and read it every chance I got. In the toilet, at breaks, while waiting for things to upload or for things to do their bit before I could do my next bit… Literally every spare second.
Can you tell I loved it??
The ideas he was sharing were so simple and yet so revolutionary! I even shared it with Bob and a few others at first. The idea that we can become 1% better every day by simply making sure we do better today than yesterday. They were sceptical, I’ll admit, but didn’t criticise it and just left me to it.
As I read the book I started making little changes to my daily routines. Fitting in more reading time. Being more efficient and present with everything I am doing. Shifting my diet (helped by my extra pay cheque from the coffee shop!). Adding in little bits of exercise in the nooks and cranny’s. Combining activities together to make my hours more productive.
Because as I heard during my friend’s webinar:
“We have all the time there is. No one has more or less than anyone else, we all get all the time there is. It is up to us what we do with the time we have.”
And I have to say, doing all these new things, shifting my daily habits and behaviours, choosing to see the world from a different perspective and generally giving out good to others, really has changed my outlook on life.
I feel happier, healthier, wealthier, more in tune with myself and my world. I haven’t fully decided on a goal yet, but I have my list of wants and I feel so enthused about everything in my life.
Life is so awesome!!
Well… Heh…
Until I got into work this Monday morning…
I was in about 10 minutes early and could feel that something was different.
All the walls were bare.
Chairs, desks, furniture were not where they had been when I left on Friday afternoon.
The office door was wide open, and the blinds were gone from the window.
I walked over to Bob, he simply sighed and said that there was a meeting at 9.
So I take my coat off and put it with my bag on a desk out of the way, and start to sort some of the bits on my workstation which had been knocked over. I don’t have much, just a few little ornaments, a desk calendar, a couple notepads. Then I consider making a drink. But see that the kitchen area is just a mess so I decide against it.
I have a feeling I may not be here for very long today anyways…
The meeting starts with some random person we’ve never seen before. Or at least at first they don’t look familiar in their jeans and hoody! But then I realise it was one of the people who stood with the boss less than a month ago when the sale of the company was announced.
They clear their throat and keep it short and simple. Starting with thanking us all for our hard work and dedication to the company. But the company is now no more.
We are welcome to apply for new positions at the new company, but as of now we are no longer employed.
What about redundancies! Someone shouts.
Apparently, when a company goes out of business, it doesn’t count as being made redundant.
“Well that’s unfair dismissal then!” I look across at the speaker and simply smile. It is one of the people who have always seemed to do the bare minimum. No surprise there then that they are trying to get something other than their P45!
The new owner simply replies that unfair dismissal can only be brought against a company that is still in operation. And ours is not. We will receive the pay we are owed by the end of the month, and any holiday pay or other benefits. If the finances allow it. But that will be it.
Oh, and we would all be provided with a good reference. And the new positions available are pinned to the wall over there.
Ok…
I look at Bob and he shuffles over to the new job adverts. So I follow him over to take a look. The bills and rent still do need to be paid and the coffee shop is great, but the pay isn’t as much as I earn here. Even if I worked every hour of every day would I make the same amount and shops aren’t open at 3am…
My forehead starts to get tight and feel uncomfortable as I scan the job titles and requirements. I don’t seem to hit any of them. Even though a couple are doing the exact same thing I do now, the qualifications listed under “Required” I have never even heard of.
I say as much to Bob and he says to apply anyways, as what choice do we have?
I nod. At least I updated my CV a couple weeks ago!
An argument behind me draws my attention. It is the minimum effort person making a scene. Demanding to be paid redundancy or be instantly given a new role in the new company as they have helped build this one from nothing and deserve to be fairly compensated.
The new owner is staying very calm in their responses. Simply repeating what was said before. Reiterating that everyone is welcome to reapply for their jobs. But no favouritism or time served here would be considered.
I take a picture of the two jobs that I feel best suit my skills, as long as I ignore the qualification requirements, and then pause as I notice the starting salaries. A fair bit lower than I am currently on…
How can they do this?
Tell us we have all lost our jobs, then offer us to apply for new ones at a much lower rate and expect us to then work back up to where we were! I can feel myself starting to get angry and to understand minimum effort’s point of view.
Breathe Morgan… Just breathe.
That voice again… So I take a breath.
I look for Bob and glimpse the back of his coat as he leaves. Well, at least he isn’t prolonging the pain and still trying to clean up after everyone else!
Good old Bob… Just doing as he is told.
But what do I do now? All I’ve been told is to leave. My pay should come through by the end of the month but who knows how much will be in it. The rent will still need to be paid! I may have enough in the bank for next month at least. As long as the money from this job comes through on time…
I feel quite numb as I pull my coat back on and pick up my bag.
Life had been going so well. And now I’m right back to feeling how I did about three weeks ago. Well, I guess these couple of weeks were nice while they lasted!
Completely disillusioned, I decide to head home. I have some job applications to write I guess!
I spend a good few hours refining my CV to gloss over the qualifications of the new role. Writing a covering letter detailing all the things I did with the old company. Then click send to the email address listed. I then spend some time looking online for other job roles that I could apply for, while I eat my lunch, and suddenly realise how good my old job and benefits had been.
I can find nothing with anywhere near the same salary that doesn’t require a degree or some other qualification that I don’t have… There seem to be mostly cleaning jobs, carer jobs, or check out staff, but even those require qualifications!
My forehead is really uncomfortable… I feel utterly useless and at a dead end…
But then an idea pops into my mind.
Why not try the library?
I need to take these books back anyways. I could speak to them as I’m pretty sure they have a careers section and other contacts. And I could also print some copies of my CV to hand out and get some more books to fill up my time while I wait for responses for my applications.
Good idea. A walk will also clear my head. So I email my CV to myself, clean up my lunch things, get my shoes and coat on and head out the door.
I feel quite proud of myself for not having a major meltdown. For being productive and not just sitting on my sofa staring at the wall and thinking the world has ended!
The walk is pleasant and it definitely helps. The weather is good walking weather and there are no threatening clouds. Once at the library I check the books back in and then speak to the person behind the desk.
There is actually a careers session happening this afternoon!
Now that was a nice coincidence considering the way the day was heading!
The session is quite busy, but I still managed to get some time with the people there to check through my CV, change a few things, and also some lessons on how to search for jobs. They highlight a few simple ones to at least get me started and one catches my attention.
A cleaning job at the university.
Doesn’t require any specific qualifications, fairly low pay. But maybe I will be able to get my foot in the door of a course there to upgrade my qualifications or do such a good job that I get considered for other roles there. Or maybe, I will simply get more intelligent by being around intelligent people!
One of the books I read said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So maybe a new environment will boost my average by being surrounded by academics!
But you will just be a cleaner. No one will want to interact with you as you scrub floors, empty bins and clean toilets.
The thought makes me shudder by its apparent appearance from nowhere. And it stops me in my tracks.
It would at least give me a few hours income a week and still leave me time to work at the coffee shop and find a third job as well.
I click apply before my mind can argue any further. Then carry on reading through a few more adverts, applying for a couple more here and there, before the library is closing and its time to head home.
Rejections
I get a few replies, mostly rejections over the rest of that week as I continue to read Think And Grow Rich. Including from the new company that left me jobless in the first place. As predicted, I don’t have the qualifications they are looking for. Oh well. I’m not sure continuing to work the same job, for less pay, more hours, new owners and potentially the same staff would have been a good idea anyways…
I have picked up a couple extra shifts at the coffee shop and the owner has said they will help where they can. But it will mostly be sickness cover as there are not many openings at the moment. I have been mainly covering a few hours here and there so they can scoot off and get something done. Or take some time off themselves. And in between I’ve simply been giving my CV out and scrolling through job sites.
The café owner was really supportive actually when I asked and explained the situation. The coffee shop was pretty quiet Tuesday night so they got me thinking about all the new opportunities I could pursue with my new ideas and thinking. Rather than being stuck in the job that I didn’t even like anyways!
They had a point.
I didn’t like that job, but that job paid the bills.
“So find another job! You just have to find it.”
“Agreed, but all the ones I’ve seen so far are so low paid, or if they are at the same pay rate as before then I don’t have the qualifications.”
“Ok, so what are you going to do about that?”
That question took me back a little. I guess just continue looking?
“And maybe building in your mind the image of the role you want to be working? The type of life you want to be living? Just like you’ve been talking about for the past two weeks from all these books you’ve been reading?”
They had a point, and that’s what I started to do. Every time a negative thought popped into my mind I would switch it to something I wanted to be doing instead as soon as I noticed.
And on the following Tuesday I got a much more positive email!
It is an invitation for an interview for the university cleaning job. The one that got me dreaming about climbing the ladder and being surrounded by all those intelligent people. The interview is that afternoon so I very quickly phone the coffee shop owner to ask for the afternoon off, and promise to be there as soon as I can to cover the rest of the evening for the late closing. The owner says it is fine, and I reply to the email with acceptance.
Wow! My mind starts racing and I start blocking out any images of dirty toilets and students throwing rubbish at me that my mind is deciding to share. I replace them with me standing at the back of a lecture theatre. Emptying the wastepaper bin while listening in to a lecture on a topic I’ve never heard of!
I decide to have another shower. Iron some clothes. Sort my hair and face. I need to look slightly more presentable. I second guess a of couple times, you wouldn’t dress too smartly to be a cleaner would you? But then my mind flicks back to something I read or heard somewhere that said to dress for the role you want to be doing.
I stick with the smartest outfit I own and smile at my reflection before heading out the door.
My mind continues to race with all the what ifs, both good and bad of this new opportunity. No, I don’t want to be a cleaner. I don’t like cleaning up after myself, let alone other people! But I persuade myself to focus on the other opportunities being surrounded by intellectual people could open me up to. And also remind myself that I still need to pay the rent and buy food etc.
The university is a half hour walk or so, so it won’t be great on rainy days. But I could still buy those new boots or some wellies at least! I slow down as the building comes into view to give myself chance to cool down a little from my brisk walk. Let my face not look so red and blotchy. And to ensure I’m not sweating profusely as I go into the interview! I have time for a quick breather, so I sit on a bench and just breathe. Taking some sips from my water bottle. Reading through my CV a couple more times and checking which building I need to report to.
The campus is pretty big, but I see a sign that says reception and ask them directions to where I need to be. It’s not far away and find the room fairly easily. I let them know I have arrived and take a seat. There are a few others there, and I feel very out of place. It seems the appropriate attire for a cleaning job is leggings, tracksuits and baggy jumpers or t-shirts.
Just breathe…
I remind myself that I am here as the person I want to be. This job is just a stepping stone to get there. So I smile at the others and introduce myself. But no one responds so I sit quietly and simply look at the pictures hanging on the wall.
I am called in after two others and as I enter the room there are two people, in work uniforms, sat behind a desk. Smiling, I offer my hand to say hello and then pass them each my CV. I take a seat and the interview commences.
Nothing really stood out to me during the next half an hour. Few questions about things on my CV. The coffee shop role sparks their interest as at least I need to do some cleaning there, and about what happened at my old job. I am honest with them, and they make some notes, and then they ask why I want this role when the other job was a lot higher paid and completely different. Again, I am honest (I need to pay the bills!), but I also remember what the careers advisor had told me. I have to convince them that this isn’t just a means to an end role. They want to hear that I will be loyal, work hard, and not be planning a quick exit if I get a better option.
So, I decide to share my recent learning from my reading, and my experiences at the coffee shop and say, truthfully, that I am finding serving others to be a very rewarding thing to do. And to be able to do that in a university where I may meet like minded people and learn some new things along the way sounds like a good role to me!
I wasn’t expecting them to then smile and say to dress a little less smartly when I start my first shift tomorrow morning at 7:30am.
I smile awkwardly. Shake their hands and take a form to fill in and bring back tomorrow with all my personal details, bank account etc. A brief nod to the others still waiting to be interviewed and I head home to change quickly before heading to the coffee shop as I had promised.
The owner smiles as I walk in. I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed and what just happened… And they congratulate me on my new position and encourage me to tell them all about it.
How do they know everything before I get chance to tell them!
The shop is empty. It’s the lull between the school run and the end of the working day, so we make a drink, and I share the details of the role. I say it isn’t really what I wanted to be doing. But it is a means to an end. And I focus more on the other benefits of being around new people and maybe learning some new things.
They applaud my open mindedness and agree that it could be the door to a lot more opportunities for me. A customer arrives and it is back to work.
The next morning my alarm goes off at 6am. I am up, dressed, breakfast and lunch sorted and out the door within 45minutes.
I am not going to be late on the first day!
The walk is pleasant, quiet, with very few people or vehicles around and I arrive in good time. I swap my filled in form for a royal blue T-shirt and a pinny style apron and then join two other new starters as we are shown the ropes of where everything is that we need and how things like to be done. I am then left in a hallway with a vacuum cleaner and a feather duster as the others are taken to the toilets.
As I dust the picture frames, notice boards and skirting boards, a poster catches my attention. It has a picture of two circles. Joined in the middle by a little line. With four small lines poking out the sides of the lower circle. And 5 small lines coming out of the top of the bigger circle. It looks a little like a stickperson, and within the circles are three words:
Think
Feel
Act
It seems to be inviting people to a seminar next week that will show people how their mind works and how to boost their success. I make a quick note of the details and carry on with my cleaning before the manager comes back.
They seem to be happy with my progress and pull me aside quickly to show me the routine for each of the rooms along this corridor. I am to enter each one, do a quick vacuum of the door mats, a quick dust, and empty the bins. Some of the rooms are offices. Some are classrooms. And there are a couple of larger seminar style rooms with seating all stacked up like an amphitheatre, and looking down at a lectern and a large board or screen at the front. I am given the set of keys to open any locked doors, and told to be mindful of any doors with a red tag. Which means they don’t want to be disturbed or have the room cleaned.
This job seems simple enough. I am grateful to be doing this than the toilets and stairwells that the other two seem to have been assigned! I get to know the other two a little over our short break period at 9 and then we carry on by emptying hallway bins and litter picking around students and staff until we finish at 12. There is a second shift that works from 12 through til 4:30. And some opportunities to work later when rooms need setting up or if there is a later seminar.
I mention to the manager my availability around the coffee shop hours and offer to be available for the seminar I saw advertised that is happening next week if they need anyone to help with the drinks, rubbish or other jobs during the session.
My name is pencilled in and then it is time to head home.
The walk is pleasant, it is only lunch time after all. Not many people around still. So a nice quiet walk. I run through what happened in my mind that morning as I walk. All the different things I saw in the different rooms. Obviously I didn’t get too into anything other than the cleaning. I wanted to make a good impression on my first day. And I also want to be considered trustworthy enough to do that seminar next week.
It looks like the kind of seminar that’s quite expensive if I am honest. The person on the poster looked really posh. Really proud. Really intelligent, well groomed, and like they knew an awful lot. So I am really looking forward to the opportunity of being able to watch them.
Once home, I sort myself out some lunch and then jump straight back on the laptop and just keep scrolling the job adverts. Seeing if there are any other little jobs that I can do in the nooks and cranny’s around the coffee shop and my new cleaning role. And then my phone rings. It’s the coffee shop owner. One of the other baristas hasn’t shown up for work. Hasn’t let them know. It’s quite unusual for that one! So they are asking me to go in for the afternoon. It’s only an early shift so it’s only going to be a couple of hours… But money is money at the end of the day isn’t it?
So I get changed into something a little bit more suitable for the coffee shop, clean up my lunch stuff, and head on over to the coffee shop.
The rest of the afternoon is fairly quiet.
There are a few of the regulars come in that I’ve seen on various days during the week, and I have a nice little chat with a few of them. The older gentleman who gave me the book Think And Grow Rich, he’s not in today, but then he’s not usually in during the week anyway.
At the end of the shift I tidy everything up. Put all of the things in that need to be soaked. Put the dishes in the dishwasher, the clothes and apron and other little bits of fabric-based things into the washing machine. Clean out all the pastries. And find a little note that says ‘anything on the top rack of the cabinet cannot be used tomorrow, so feel free to find them a home’.
The top rack consists of a few pastries, couple of croissants, that sort of thing, and also a couple of the sandwiches. So there’s my dinner sorted! I am being a little more careful with money at the moment, so my new diet has kind of gone out of the window a little bit. There’s not much in my cupboards at all to be fair, so this little bit extra is really really appreciated.
I lock up the shop, take the keys home with me, I can always drop them back in the morning. The owner hasn’t come back as they thought they might, but they did say there was a chance, and they are happy for me to take the keys home as long as I bring them back in the morning after my cleaning. They have a spare set anyways.
Once home, shower, enjoy my sandwich, and then I pick up Think And Grow Rich. I then spend the rest of my evening, nose in my book, wondering what the next day will bring.
What Do You Think?
So what do you think? Comment below with your feedback and where you would like to see Morgan’s story go or where you think it will go! I only have a rough outline plan so far so your input could guide it in another direction…
If this story resonates with you and you want to discuss this further, then get in touch today. Either here or through any of my social medias or schedule a call to discuss it with me directly.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
To your success,
Jaiye
PS.
Don’t forget to come and join me live if it hasn’t gone past the 24th December 2024 yet! I go live with a new chapter every Tuesday and Thursday on my Linked In, Facebook and YouTube channels and you are more than welcome to join me. Register now!
