Best Selling Acrylic Painting Instructional Book

Zen Houses Online Workshop

Zen Painting Online Workshop

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Time and Place For Everything



A Place For Everything

an abstract floralThis week has been a little hectic. I had 3 days off last week and let me tell you....every time I take time off, it takes 2-3 times as long to catch up at work. It's worth it though..lol...I love my time away and wouldn't give it up for the world. I just had a conversation today with my mentee (my co-worker that I'm training to be a Financial Center Manager such as myself) about the difference between working in retail, and working in a bank. She, like I, came from a retail management background and life is soooo different when you compare the two work life experiences. At least at the bank, they don't tell you that sorry, we have visitors coming, you need to cancel your vacation and work till 2am fixing the store up.
I'll never forget one manager I worked with at K-Hell who was a complete buttoooski and I hated, well we had a visit and it didn't go well. He told the front end manager that since her area was such a disaster, she had to cancel her vacation and come in and clean the foyer (big foyer...repeat big foyer) with a tooth brush. I remember her on her hands and knees cleaning, scrubbing and basically being humiliated. I told her to stop doing it. She was being humiliated and it wasn't even the main concern of the visitors--they were focussed on the 'holes' at the checkouts. That manager was just trying to prove a point and get her back for embarrassing him. He also was sooooo good at his job, he felt that instead of the min (and I do mean minimum) 48 hours and 2 nights, he could work 8-1 go golfing or whatever from1-5 and maybe come back to check sales at 5 and pretty much never work a night and certainly never a weekend. Working for that company and definitely for that manager really brought home everything I didn't want from a job and everything I would not tolerate from a manager.
My job now, is challenging in different ways but not even close to being as draining on my body and mind nor taxing on my personal life as my retail management job was. My oldest son probably doesn't even remember me from age 0-7 because, well, Mama worked 6-7 days a week and about 10-14 hours a day. What was it all for???
Having a career is great--but letting it consume you or letting it stress you out so much that you can't enjoy the little things (or big things) in life...is it worth it? At what price or what point do you say, enough is enough?
So, even though I had three days off last week and feel as behind as ever......I wouldn't trade this job for anything. UNLESS.....I could do my artwork all day and get paid the same amount with benefits or more...LOL. Okay, long shot...but according to THE SECRET, you have to put your request out there to the universe and it will come back to you. The book just doesn't say when. I guess in good time. When it's supposed to. Like placing an order and having USPS deliver it. You know it's coming. 7-21 days and it will more than likely be here. No need to call the postman and see if it's arrived. Don't obsess over checking the mailbox, just believe that your order is coming. One day a box will be on your doorstep full of all your wishes. Sigh. If dreams were only that easy.

Until then, take the steps necessary to open the doors to your dreams. There will be a time and "A Place For Everything"

Have a great week!

4 comments :

Kathy said...

OMG, retail is the worst!!!!
My last job was a bank, I was a teller for 3 years and I swear I will never go to another bank either. lol. I guess a bad work experience, can leave some deep scras. I can not understand how a company can allow a manager to behave as the horses ass did in that story you shared. That poor woman, I am sure she needed her job badly, because I would have walked! But thankfully I would have been able to. (at this time) That poor woman!
I love your thinking about...putting it out there! I have been wanting to read that book!
Thanks for sharing Lucy...
oh, and I love your new piece. And I would love to link with your blog so I remember to visit again.
~xx~
Kathy

Anonymous said...

I love learning more about you this way...I worked in retail too and for some reason not many people I talk to now understand that this treatment of employees is "normal" and that yes, people really do work 14 hour days and are expected to cancel vacations or come in on their days off for mandatory unpaid meetings...it's nuts.

Glad you are in a better place.

I always say "more of this please" when I find myself enjoying a particular experience.

Jane said...

There is a "K-Hell" near us that is so clean I would probably eat something that fell on the floor-it's spotless. Now I know why! You know that kind of treatment would be considered hazing on a college campus! I she could sue for that! I worked at Dress Barn. I hated the fact that it was only neat for a minute and then it was a mess again. Still, I think the Gap with all that folding has to be my idea of hell!

Your paintings always have such positive messages. You must go to Santa Fe!!

Mama Said Sew said...

I've been very fortunate in limiting my work in retai. I worked mostly in food service when I was younger.

The new piece is wonderufl Lucy! Is it going in your shop?