Preparation

preparation = success

Preparation is like anything else , it must become habit and it is something that YOU are responsible for. You need to be ahead of your day and you need to be sure you have the proper tools to do your job.

Think ahead.

If you do not have the proper information needed- get it- and you should prepare as much ahead as you can. If you wait to the last minute to prepare you are leaving to much to chance.
In order to do your job you may need to do the job of others, if you need it then do not leave it for others to get it to you- chase it- ask the questions, become as self efficient as possible.
Always think out the worse case senerios and be ready with a plan B.

Prepare

Write things down ! Make a check off list- most important- follow up ! You will not get all your answers right away, you will get voicemail, your email will not get returned, you will get bounced from one rep to another- follow up and follow through.

Should it be streamlined ? Should other people help get you the information you need ?? Yes and yes but guess what ? This is life - no matter where you and what you do you will run into the same issues.

There are people who care about doing a good job and their are others that just show up and the ones that just show up can effect your work so you need to work with them or around them but you cannot allow them to bring you down.

Work it -find a way- be prepared ! - Don't just show up !

Life

Live life ..
Live life like you are dying.. because none of us are promised tomorrow.
If you were diagnosed and told you had a few years to live, what would you do?
Would you waste your time hating and being angry or would you appreciate every day?
Do not take the day for granted, do not waste your energy on the negative, your life is what YOU make it.
There is a lot of reasons to feed into the negative and the hate , it is all around you every day.
Do not keep putting things off that you want to do or push away the people that matter most to you, you do not know what life has in store for your loved ones too so let them know that you care about them. And the most important thing you can give them is your time.
Live every day- look up- smile- appreciate the people in your life.

Sacrifice

How do you measure someone's sacrifice?

Do you even know what the person next you has sacrificed?

Is it a single parent who sacrifices every day to provide for their child ? How about the spouse who sacrifices every day for their loved one who is suffering through medical issues ? Did the person next to you suffer a loss of a child or a parent to early in their life or possibly just suffered a loss?

Why do we feel the need to judge others that we really do not even know ?

My sacrifice is greater than yours ? Really ? 

Think before you talk, think before you judge, everyone has a story and is going through something.

Take the time to talk and actually listen and I guarantee you that you will look at the person differently, therefore you will possibly start to see why they may be defensive or angry or depressed.

Do not join the crowd and ignore the " person " - take it down a notch- Listen.

What do you really know about the person next to you? Your neighbor ? Maybe they could use a friend ? Maybe YOU could use a friend?

Believe

Believe
There is a reason for everything!
Who knows why one path leads to another and why things happen but trust and follow the paths and you will find that it will bring you to where you should be.
We learn more from our failures and our hardships then our successes and accomplishments.
It is all true.
When I look back I have no explanation on why certain people came in my life and why certain opportunities fell in my path, I only know that I always tried to do my best for my family , not hurt anyone and I tried to enjoy every.
I tried to learn from everyone, still do.
Believe.
Do you believe ? Do you have faith ?
We only have so much control, bad things will happen, bad people will enter your life, what you do with it all is up to you.
The wonder of life is not knowing, and in the journey.
Believe

Discussions

Discussions are good- discussions are necessary to grow and learn and for understanding other people's opinions.

Unfortunately you can not have real discussions or conversation if everyone is yelling.

I think that a lot people think that if they yell louder and get very angry that their opinion is more important then others- unfortunately all it does is shut down any real conversation.

I do my best to always try to look at the other side, to try to understand why someone may look at something the way they do. We all draw on how and where we were brought up and what is in our DNA and passed down for generations.

The great thing about the United States is that we are a melting pot and have different races and religions and with that comes different cultures and opinions that is what separates so many other countries. The United States has freedoms that are the fabric of our democracy and we need to always respect the cultures and opinions of everyone and to listen to those that you may not agree with.

Yelling does not make you right- it just makes you loud and obnoxious. What are so afraid of?

Respect others- honesty Listen- converse , at the end of the day you can keep your opinion and go home or maybe if you listen you can at least respect why the other person has their opinion, who knows you may even learn something.

Do not complicate matters

Do not make life more complicated then it needs to be , it can be complicated enough without you helping. Same with your work place , strip it down and start to uncomplicate matters.
Start by trusting your gut and if someone seems shady or they seem like they are just out for themselves then limit your time with them and if you have to cut off your ties with them, they are only adding to your stress.
Live, work hard and try to laugh more, I know that sounds like pie in the sky crap but trust me if you make this your mantra and your goal and really bring it to your conscience every day you will start living it. And you start by leaving those negative people to their own little circle- you do not need them! Remember what life was like when you felt happy and smiled and laughed and get back there.
Uncomplicate your life.
Less is more...you do not need more and better and bigger - you just need a healthy life with the ones you love and trust around you- start today.
Life is what YOU want it to be -

Obvious

Sometimes what is obvious to you is not so obvious to others.
If you have a good work ethic and truly respect others you just cannot understand those that do have that in their DNA , and you can get frustrated that they not only do not have that same work ethic or respect for others, thus starts the rub or the hill you must climb.
The rub is what is so obvious to you is not to them so what do you do ? How can you stay focused on your job and work with people that you know are not of the same make up ?
Well you best find that bridge because they will always exist around you, there will always be people that only have their self interest at heart and are in positions that they they should not have because they did work their way up the ladder so get over it and learn to work with them. Maybe you have to lend a blind eye or leave it for another day or avoid them but you cannot allow their incompetence or low morals to effect you or your day.

If you are in management or are in charge of a crew the answer is different, if you have people that are working for you with a low bar for morality or a poor work ethic it is your job to try your best to show them what they are doing wrong and how to improve, you must be their coach .
 If for whatever reason you cannot seem to get their attention you must replace them for their own good as well as yours.

If it is your manager or boss that is struck with this low work ethic or moral code then that becomes a bit more difficult, you still need to stay on the high road and do your job. If you can that while still under their umbrella then put your blinders on and move on but normally if you are working for someone with that mentality even if you get along with them today and they do not effect your job they may turn on you tomorrow, Because their sellfish gene dominates their other genes it can be hard to be loyal because their only true loyalty is to themselves.

Remember what may be obvious to you may not be to others so be patient, do your job and always try to build bridges.

If you are working for someone you do not respect or who may treat you ok but dis respects others then you may want to reevaluate your job. You can only truly grow if you believe in your leaders and your product so start to look for a plan B and make the move on your time table.

You deserve to be happy and work in a positive environment and for people that hold your same morals. Do not settle or comply..life is short..enjoy what you do and good things will come.

Care

In all my days of hiring and training I always said that I can teach you the business but I can not teach you to Care... to truly care about other people, ..to give a dam .
And if you do not care about others you will never Succeed.
There is the make believe kind of care but that will seep through very quickly, either you respect others enough to want to help them or you don't and if all you really care about is yourself then that will be a very lonely island.
To start building your ladder of learnings and successful climb you need a strong foundation and that foundation starts with caring about other people and their success.
You can try to fake it but just like a weak foundation of a home or building it will start to crack and eventually fall.
It is not difficult people, just open your eyes and your heart and speak honestly...
CARE

Yourself

If you lose yourself you lose everything.
Stand for something.
Listen to that little voice in your head , if you think something is wrong or somebody is not telling the truth then listen to that voice and act- do something.
If you do not stand for something you you fall for anything.
If you just go along then are you not part of the problem? If you approach it as a positive and truly speak the truth and your opinion then you at least can put your head on your pillow that night and know that you did your best and in the end it will come back to you as a positive.
If someone is talking crap to you about somebody else don't you think they will do the same with others about you ? Do not fool yourself, those type people just care about themselves and will turn on you in a heart beat so you might as well stay true to yourself.
Do not lose your moral compass- no matter how fast you run you cannot get away from yourself and your conscience- feel the freedom of following your own voice .

Against the Wind

It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playing low, and
And the secrets that we shared
The mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of control
'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me oh-so-tight
Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then

Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin' against the wind

The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home, and I
Guess I lost my way
There were oh-so-many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind

Well those drifter's days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm older now but still runnin' against the wind
Well I'm older now and still runnin'


https://youtu.be/PBJRD1VkxmI

Bob Seger

Where you came from

Never forget where you came from.

I have watched many a buisness man fail because they simply got to big for their britches and forgot where they came from and why they started to succeed.

When you are starting out you are appreciative of the opportunity and work hard and are respectful of those around you- do not ever forget that.

I have watched people start with nothing and work themselves up the ladder of success only to forget what it was like at the beginning and run to fast and lose perspective.
Who helped you ? Who did you emulate or learn from ?
 Never forget the ones that help lift you up or gave you those words of encouragement when you needed them- pay it forward- stay humble.

The Journey is the real reward, most times people either get too greedy or start attaching themselves to those around them that let's say do not have their best interest at heart - always keep one eye open and stay true to the person you were at the beginning of your journey.

Unsettled ground

Do you feel like you are on unsettled ground ?
You are not alone.
Are you worried about your job?
You are not alone.
Worried about bills, who are your true allies or friends, if you are on the right path?
You are not alone, we are ALL in the same boat. I believe that this is now our new reality, like it or not we are all on unsettled ground.

We can ask ourselves why but the realities are I know people of all ages and across all lines and the one common thread is we are all fighting something.
From teenagers being bullied to young couples trying to buy homes and start a family to people close to retirement or retired worried about social security or medical issues and bills we are all working through something, keep that in mind when you get in your " always me" mode.

Snap out of it ..it is called life.

The sooner you understand that this is our new reality the sooner you can begin to cope with it..what choice to you have ?

The number one thing to do is remember what is truly important in your life? Hopefully that answer is your loved ones, your spouse, your children ,and if you are so blessed , your grandchildren.

Number two- start dialing back..knowing and believing it is your family that is number one dial back on your expenses and your toys. Do your best to keep your debt at a level you can wrap your arms around otherwise you will be chasing the almighty dollar so much you will lose sight of number one.

These are our times...you are not alone.

Education

How many years of education do you have ?
I have over 50..
Yup, over 50 and still counting, my best education was and still is real life, every day encounters.
My mentor, Paul Arpin, always said he was still learning and he said right up till the day he passed in his mid eighties.

When the day comes that you think you know it all , just pack it in.
Paul just like me did not have much in the years of what they call a "formal" education, our lessons would all come from the streets. We made mistakes along the way but learned from each and every one of them.

When people want to give me their resume verbally on how many years they have been in " the buisness " I already get turned off..honestly I don't care. What I do care about is how you treat the people around you and if you think your years in the buisness gives you some kind of privilege or pass you already told me what I need to know about you.

Once again recounting on my days with Paul Arpin I never heard him tell anyone in any conversation how long he has been in the buisness or what accomplishments he had. On the plague of Paul as you enter Arpin headquarters it says " May my work speak for itself" and it sure did.
Do not get down on yourself if you do have a higher school education and do not envy or belittle those that do, it is what you do in life that matters and what you learn along the way.

There are lessons and gifts every day with everyone you meet if you simply stay humble and keep your eyes and ears open.

Tribal

I had heard or read some time ago about everyone's need to be part of a tribe, going back in all of history being a part of a tribe was in bred and necessary.

Today we all feel the same , we like to be part of a team , a tribe, a group.
For many reasons that explains why we love belonging to a professional sports team and fan base. It is why we draw the line politically, there is strength in numbers.

Unfortunately it is what also gives rise to hate groups through the years, people feel the need to belong and sometimes will gravitate to whatever group seems to except them.

People feel more powerful when they are with their group and sometimes it gives them false power and they feel it easier to hurt or say negative things about those that do no not belong in their group.
It is funny how it manafest in us as we get older too, you see older men belonging to motorcycle groups and they end up buying the jackets and t shirts that tag their group, same as sport teams.
In the work place or schools there may not be official groups but people develop clicks that resemble tribes or teams and within that click they can make you fell on the outside if you do not belong.

I have felt it my whole life, I have no need nor desire to belong to a click or good old boy network but when you feel yourself on the outside it can still be a struggle and can still hurt.

Finding that sweet spot where you do not feel beholding to any group but still befriend them is very important to get things done and to remain positive and move toward your goals you need allies.

The people we look up to

We are all going through something .. including people you may look up to.
As I grew older I was amazed with how the people I grew up admiring had a difficult upbringing or was going through such difficult times.
We all have this grand illusion that people that are successful have this wonderful life with no problems...wrong.
Very successful people like Elvis Presley, Robin Williams , Ray Charles, Johnny Cash even Bruce Springsteen, they have a story to tell and in most cases it is their dark shadows and ugly history that fueled them.
Point being is you never know and why should you ?
The one thing that I can assure you is all the people around you have gone through something or are going through something that shaped their lives and because of those moments and memories that is how they view others and possibly react the way they do.
The other thing is that no matter what face they show or you show the public at the end of the day we all have to live in our own skin.
Hopefully as we do get older we have the time to self reflect in our own upbringing and lives and we learn that even those that we admire or maybe even dis like all have a story to tell.
I know I react the way I do because of my childhood and things that may have happened to me, but even knowing that it does mean it stops my reactions but hopefully I can at least identify why I may be having the thoughts I have or why I may be defensive and then try to work it out in my own head.
They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger..it is true IF you take the time to self reflect and to try to understand what did hurt you and who may have hurt you- learn from it and be better.

Is it me ?

When do you say " is it me ?
Are you constantly dis liking people around you?
Do you not trust anyone?
Are you complaining about what others do or say ?
Is it around you everywhere?
Hmmmmmm...
Maybe it's time to say " is it me " ?
Self reflection is the most difficult and in the end the ONLY person that you can actually change is YOU.
It begins and ends with attitude- YOURS.
Are they right ? Are you right ? ..who cares ? If you allow a negative attitude to take over YOUR life - they win.
A funny thing begins to happen if you do not allow others to take over your day and your attitude, you start to feel better and you may even see their shoulders begin to lower.
Always remember that we are all going through something in our lives , look past the ugly or mean front of people or what you or they may be upset with, most times they , or you, are unhappy about something else or dealing with other issues in their or your personal life.
Stop carting that dead weight - what can YOU do to be more positive?
Take back the Power.

Garbage in

Garbage in...garbage out.
If all you do is listen and read negative all day then naturally you will regurgitate negative all day.
If you truly want to change and feel better about yourself you may need to change your daily routines and maybe even lessen your interactions with those people that say they are your friends but do nothing but spew negativity.
Even if you are neutral about a person if all you do is hear bad about them then you start to look for the bad rather than the good, the negative permeates- remove yourself from other people's opinion and try to always make allies. You may decide on your own that person in question may not be the most truthful or trusting person but you may be in a position that you still need to work with them so lessen your time and conversations with that person and move on. Do not participate in the slamming, just move on. If you continue to rehash ugly conversations you just relive it and get more angry.
Negative in...negative out.
Knowing a person's character and downfalls can help you maneuver through the day , do not get angry and head to social media, get what you need in order to do your job and move on.
Remember in the end we all have to live in our own skin and we all have the controls of our own lives and how we live each day.
Do not take each day for granted, there are no guarantees so do not allow other people's problems to be your problems.
How can you improve your attitude today?

Goals

What  are your goals today ?
What are goals for the next few years?
Where do you see yourself ?
If you have no goals or vision then how can you achieve what you want ?
Write down your goals for the day. Think of your long ranged goals.
Do not allow the noise and the negative to get in your way.
I am not talking about money.
How can you improve?
Stay positive- you get what you give !

Team player

This phrase "Team Player" is over used in buisness today.
Most times when someone uses the term " team player" they are probably trying to smooch you or trying to massage you, if you are a true team player then the person saying it should have YOUR best interest at heart. In the moving business many times an employer needs to get something moved and the fact that it may not be profitable for you is YOUR problem.
Don't get me wrong I know the big picture, employers need to keep their accounts and scores therefore they need to serve their master- their accounts and their customers - but in the interim some of them forget who their customers are. In order to have a successful business you need to treat everyone as if they are your customer, this goes for drivers and laborers and employees too.
You need to have the other guys best interest at heart, being a team player means caring for All your team, ALL the time. If you have a losing scenario for whatever reason- own it !
Tell the truth and make up for it down the road, sooner rather than later.
Actions speak louder than words !
Don't just call someone a team player- show them !