Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Of An Omelet, And An Opportunity

When I first wrote about my new job at a local Amercian Eagle Outfitters warehouse, I said,
"The job is slated to run through mid-December, with a good chance of an extension after that. The warehouse is closing in June, and my interviewer expressed doubt that the work of winding it down would be finished by December. So I may be there as long as until June, but no longer.
In that regard, I think this fits very nicely with growing my Legal Shield business. But more about that later."
OK, it's later. Here's what I meant:

As a LegalShield associate, I can make money in one of two ways: either by selling the company's services myself, or by recruiting other people as associates and getting a slice of their commissions when they sell the services.

I have preferred to focus on the former, but my new job offers an unusual opportunity to do well with the latter. Here's why:

I am working alongside a lot of other people whose jobs will end no later than June, and who will need income in July. I believe that somewhere among them are at least a couple of people who would make good LegalShield associates - people who could make a living at it, and whose success would enhance own my life emotionally, psychologically and financially.

The question is how to locate them.

The answer that comes to mind is, "By expanding myself."

What does that mean?

A story:

A couple of Sundays ago, the cafeteria, which serves breakfast and lunch, had pot roast on the lunch menu. When I went in for breakfast, I stumped myself with the question, "What do I want for breakfast that will leave me room for pot roast?"

The chef suggested an omelet. I took his suggestion. And it was a really good omelet. It was so good that at lunch time I asked his name - Brian - and shook his hand and thanked him while praising the omelet.

A week later, I asked for a "slam," a breakfast that includes scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and potatoes. Brian, scrambling my eggs, asked if I wanted anything extra, and I asked for pepperjack cheese, then said something goofy like, "He hooking me up with the pepperjack cheese!" And Brian said,

"It's not hard to do that for you. You know why?"

I didn't know why. I had no idea what he meant.

"I've been working here over a year and you're that first person that's come back to shake my hand and thank me..."

I was stunned. And deeply impressed with the fact that I had deeply impressed Brian without trying to. Just by being myself.

It may be that the way to locate my LegalShield recruits among my warehouse co-workers is just by being myself on a larger scale...by expanding myself. By letting myself care more about more of my co-workers.

This fits with my recently-formed conviction that the more I care about people, the more I will succeed as a LegalShield associate.

In a late-night convo with my friend Greg Olszewski, it came out this way:

"If I walk into a room and there are 20 people there whom I have not met before...I don't have to know everyone's story in order to care about them. I just need to recognize that everyone has a story. Every single person there has hopes, fears, dreams, problems - and every single person there would probably benefit within the next few months - if not right now - from being able to consult with an attorney without paying through the nose.

Because life happens to everybody.

So...offering LegalShield is a way of doing practical good for people I don't even know...

Because even strangers are human, and deserve it."

So, my mission, which I gladly accept, is to care more about more of my co-workers, and to let that caring lead to what it will in regards to LegalShield - offering the service, offering the associate opportunity, whichever way it goes.

BTW, if you don't yet know why I say that offering LegalShield is a way of doing practical good, and you want to, please check my LegalShield website, and/or drop me a line. I'd be glad to meet and talk about it with you. 

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