Courage & Change

I learned a great lesson this past week about what it really takes to make a Change in our lives from
a complete stranger.

{I just love when this happens!}

His name is Andrew (I never did get his last name) and he was our AT & T U-verse Technician. He was scheduled to come to do a 4-hour installation job, but ended up staying the entire day, plus having to return the next morning for several hours. 

And all of this at no fault of his own.

My job as a Reference Checker at MRA - The Management Association involves "interviewing" references for the sole purpose of weeding through who our member companies do and do not want to hire. I have a series of questions to ask that the hiring company wants to know about this person; they want details.

They are paying good money for this information after all. 

They are after Truth so they can make a wise decision - all in the name of saving money and time, which is critical - especially now in our current economy - for everyone...hiring companies and candidates alike.

One of the questions they want us Reference Checkers to ask is:  

Was the candidate adaptable to change?

This is a big deal to hiring companies when they are considering whether or not they want to go out on a limb for a person.

Another question is:

Could you evaluate his/her Work-Related Character?

Naturally, our other questions involve rating technical skills, quality of work, accuracy and productivity. They are asked first, in the proper order in report format - all very, very good and much needed answers to know.

However, what Andrew taught me in our time spent together, literally sitting around our kitchen table "waiting" for help to arrive on his end {interesting how quickly a stranger simply becomes a 'stranger' no longer} is that being a flexible person in work and life is a big deal but what he taught me most importantly is that there is something far more grander and valuable and that is called...

~Character~ 

 And I'm not just talking about work-related character here. 

I am talking about  

Integrity...  Attitude... Work Ethic... Trustworthiness...

Andrew shared with me his daily productivity quota (I told him about my job) and how he was personally going to take the 'punishment' per se for the "job" taking 8 hours instead of 4. 

He shared personal stuff with me about his life and future...sort of what was holding him back...I shared the importance of education...he nodded in agreement.

He said this all with not a 'hint' of poor me, this job sucks, this company sucks, all of this time and money wasted sitting around... my productivity being affected...

I will admit to you that this is NOT what I was thinking about AT & T at that moment! My mind had immediately went to who I would be calling Monday morning on the behalf of Andrew.

What? I thought and probably said to him. Are you kidding me? None of this is even his fault. In fact, it is partially my fault, yet now he is going to have a 'mark' against him on his productivity record... 

and in this economy where jobs are so few and far between!

Oh...and I just have to mention here that I was baking homemade oatmeal raisin cookies - trust me, this never happens! - and since he was there ALL day I thought he must be hungry... I had already offered him coffee, lunch...all he would accept was a glass of water.

I kept saying, Come on, it is a homemade oatmeal cookie!!!

I realized later that this was one of their "rules"...very understandable, yet how he must have been tempted by the luring, delicious, yummy smells in the air....

I sure was & fell into the temptation {I just couldn't help it! ;)} and ended up eating both of our portions! ~

As Andrew finished the job up and I had a sense of what I would've been feeling if I were him:  

I just want to go home and eat dinner and be done with this job! Get me out of here!!

But instead - do you know what he did? {Blind-sided me - big time}

Even though this was to be our 3rd company for Cable T.V. of some kind, and Andrew already knew I pretty much "got" how to operate the remote and work through the menu and guide...

He still went through it all with me! 

He even went through very specifically and thoroughly how to do 'parental blocking' all with the knowledge & understanding that we have kids and of the importance of this very important "tool" for parents.

He left, and I was simply Amazed! 

I had just witnessed real live work-related character, customer service and integrity in action! 

Like in my own house!

Unfortunately, later on after he left, I came to realize that Andrew doesn't see it. He doesn't see his potential. He doesn't see his worth..his value...

And neither have I - many, many, many times...this lack of belief in myself...and I now know and understand that that is what has stopped me from moving forward when I am faced with a change.

And what Andrew taught me most importantly, as well as others have this past week, is that the missing piece to really moving forward, really making a change, really being Free is:

Courage

It takes Courage to make a Change. It just does.

And the thing is~ we all have it in us. 

The ability to Fly.

Anyway, the job got done and it got done well...all thanks and appreciation goes to Andrew...

for going above and beyond!!

The kids are happy with some "new" channels we now have...life goes on~

My hope for Andrew is that he sees what I saw in him. I saw that he already has it in him...

My prayer for him, a person of his Integrity and his Character is that he Soars...

~I just have this feeling that he will~

Now that makes me smile big from ear to ear.

I have 3 people in mind as I wrote this post and as I close~

Congratulations Deb on your new Nursing job~!...my dear friend-sister...

Thank You for your service to our community as a Nurse and what you have dedicated your life to. You've already done a good & praiseworthy job - a job well done on so many levels ~ 

more than you may ever know...

All who know and love you like your brother & I do, know exactly what I mean...how special you are...

You have what it takes to Soar, just like Andrew ...

Don't be afraid of change - sometimes it is just what we need...just grab hold and take it...
and you will Soar -
I have no doubt about that!

And of course, Andrew - our "Technician" - thanks to what you taught me about real life stuff...

Courage & Change...teaching me what it really takes to Fly...

Most importantly though ~
Happy Birthday Doug!~Son, Dad, Husband, Grandpa, 
Father-in-law
Thank you for showing all of us the way to do it well.

I will leave you all with this~ because it will make you smile like it did me~

I finally did get Andrew to take a cookie, but he would only accept just 1 and only after his job was done.

 Character

That is what Andrew has and what it takes to 
Change and Fly

I feel honored to have met him.

That is who I would want to hire & keep around if I were a boss, wouldn't you?

Yes, indeed!