Lessons Learned (Part 3)
Once I got my driver’s license, I needed a job. Well, after thinking about it, I think I went out and got my job before my license. Either way, I needed to get a job.
So, the job of my choice was at a local clothing store. Working at a clothing store I learned a lot about organization and how to present items to customers. Clothing stores can be very slow at times, allowing a lot of time to straighten the racks, clean, and put away new inventory. A general rule of thumb when spacing clothing is to put two fingers between each hanger. Also, make sure the hangers are all facing the same direction. To this day, I still find myself fixing hangers while walking through stores.
My dad was in the military, and he said the same thing about his lifestyle. He finds himself being neat and tidy, and he believes the military played a large part in that.
Another thing I learned is how to deal with different kinds of customers. There are the typical happy customers, who know what they want or just want to browse. There are the customers who get upset about the line being too long or the store not having the right sizes. And there are the customer who knowingly and unknowingly make messes. After working there for a while, I found myself being bolder when it came to letting customers know when they were making a mess or more specifically, when their children were making a mess. I once walked up to a woman to tell her that her child, who was sitting in the front of the cart, was pulling clothes off hangers while they were shopping. She was nice enough to apologize, but I found that I could only take so much before having to say something.
There were some advantages to working in the clothing industry, and that was being able to see the newest fashions coming out. Everything from shirts to shoes to jackets were always coming in, with new designs and colors. I found a lot of my paycheck being spent on these newest trends.
Which leads me to my lessons that I learned. Being organized helps in every aspect of our lives. Waking up in the morning and being able to find breakfast is a must. Opening up our closet doors or dresser drawers and being able to find our clothes for work is also pretty important. Then, knowing where we placed our keys, wallet, purse, phone and other accessories is the last thing we need to know before walking out the front door. Once we get to work, it is also important to know where everything is located. This helps with getting our job done more efficiently.
The other part of the lesson was presentation. This plays a part in every aspect of our lives, too. The way we dress says a lot about us. The way we decorate our homes say a lot about us. The cleanliness of our vehicles speaks about how much we care about presenting ourselves. Think about when you went for your last job interview. Depending on the type of job, you most likely wore some of your nicer clothes. First impressions say a lot about someone. All of us judge others by the way they look, when we first meet them. Afterwards, we may find that they are a great person who doesn’t dress well or maybe a very rude person who dresses extremely well. Either way, we make our first guesses about someone by the way they look.
In order for us to be at our best, we must stay organized and present ourselves well. And if you are a clutter bug who would love to have more organization in your life, then start with making your bed or organizing your bathroom sink. Start with baby steps and do it daily. Then, move on to something else to organize and present well.
The amount of internal relief you will bring to yourself will be amazing and your concentration levels will soar, too!
Life Lesson:
Stay organized and present yourself well.
Brad Rhame 