Apply

The other evening I went to the food store, to pick up a few items we needed. It was late when I got to the checkout. The front end manager wasn’t busy so she came over to bag my groceries. This woman, my husband and I have gotten to know pretty well over the last few years. She has been working at that store for nearly seven years.

As I placed the bags in my cart, our friend turned to me with a glimmer in her eye and said, “Oh I have to tell you, I got the job!” I was puzzled by her statement, since she was ON a job as we stood there. She went on to say that she had applied at a local retail store and got a full time position. She was starting the following Monday.

I was excited for her. After years of working two part-time jobs, she would finally have a full-time job. I said to her how great it was that she could finally leave the evening shift at the food store. Her eyes dropped down and she told me that she couldn’t.
She would be working a full time and part time job. She then quickly explained that she needed it to pay the rent and about 5 or 6 small credit cards.

I tried to be excited for her. I really did. She was as excited as a teenager that passed their exams and got their driver’s license. How could I squash her happiness?
But, I wondered why she wouldn’t seek a higher paying position and work one job instead.

I cautiously worded my question to her. She explained that even though she had almost 30 years experience in retail type environments, that she could never take on an Assistant Store Manager position. It was too much to handle. Even though the thought of working one job and getting paid $15 an hour seemed to be a ‘dream’ for her, she never looked for those types of positions.

Though it was late in the evening, the conversation sat heavy on my heart. When I shared it with my husband, he made one statement that was quite simple, yet so very profound. “You have to apply for it though.”

Yes, our friend could not change her situation unless she sought out a way. If she did not apply for a management position, it would never come her way. I don’t think that she even thought that BIG for herself. After 30 years of working in retail and grocery stores, she was still only offered minimum wage at this new job. That, to me is an insult. But, how can one expect any more, when they don’t go after it?

In our jobs, businesses, relationships, one thing remains true: You MUST apply. You must go after more, seek more, expect more. You cannot expect it to fall in to your lap. It just doesn’t work that way.

What makes someone ‘crazy’ for applying to be a manager in their field? What makes someone ‘foolish’ for wanting to start a home based business? What makes someone ‘insane’ for wanting to get married or have more children?

I guess, it is the same mentality that drove Einstein, Chopin, Mozart, Michelangelo, JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Helen Keller to be ‘crazy’, ‘foolish’ and ‘insane’. They knew they were destined for MORE. They had the burning desire within them to APPLY. They knew that they could make a difference.

What makes it so hard for us to comprehend that some people have bigger dreams and the gumption to go after them? It’s all in your head… and as Henry Ford said: “Whether a man think he can or cannot; either way he is correct.

I wish the best for my friend, I truly do. I cannot give her the dream to go after or the steam to get there. I can only plant the seed. It only need be the size of a mustard seed. I planted the seed that she can do more and I hope and pray that it takes root.

I wish the best for YOU too. I hope and pray that if you needed someone to plant a seed, I have been able to do that for you. We are all destined for MORE. We all have the making of greatness within us.

The question is:

Will you APPLY?