O.K. not for praise just wanted to show an example of how this whole thing has changed my life. As I may have posted before I'm a former chef and now work for a seafood company as a sales person. In years past with this job I have always been irritated, disgusted and full of contempt for my customers who didn't know food and fish as well as I did. Instead of teaching and educating I always let my customers know how much they didn't know and how much I did. Not the best sales pitch in case you were wondering. I have always done alright in my job. Mostly because my company was about the only game in town if anybody needed seafood in Colorado. I'm doggedly persistent with them but it was sort of a captured audience. Anyway since starting this program my attitude toward my customers has gone about 180 degrees the other way. Most of my customers are lacking education past 8th grade or are immigrants with English as their 2nd language. Early last year I started praying for love and tolerance for my fellow man. God granted me that request. I found that as I started asking questions about them personally I really started to see that they were so frustrated about their station in life. The struggles they faced were depressing but I found that most of them were here in this country trying to break a chain of poverty for their families. I was able to identify deeply with them since I was on that same mission. I do the job I do for the same reason. I am fixing myself with this fellowship so that I can be a better, happier and more present example for my family than I had. I always hear at meeting to look for the similarities more than the differences. I had to rush off to work one day after hearing that at meeting. A light bulb moment happened as I mentally prepared for work on my drive from meeting. Maybe those principles I whole hearted and emphatically nodded at in meeting might actually work in the real world? DUH TONY! Needless to say they started working and my customers began to respond. Oddly I started to outsell my coworkers. I am now glad to report that when the year finishes tomorrow I will have sold more than 6 million $. My company has been around for 90 years and that has never happened. That is a lofty number (especially for seafood in the middle of Colorado) and I can only take credit for being willing to open my eyes and ears to the God sent messages I have received in this program. I'm not saying that God cares if I sell more fish but he does care that I'm a better caretaker of myself and His other children along this journey. Currently that is translating into success at work. Just wanted to share how things are much better now than before. Nowadays I guess I'm just a fisher of men cause I do better at following Him! :)
Gratefully in His grace
Tony Fishstyx
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3 comments:
Good for you Tony. That's a lot of fish styx. It's amazing how feeling good on the inside translates to doing good on the outside.
Yo Cuz,
Congrats! I know it takes a lot of personal sacrifice for you to be a fish monger. Your family is worth it! Not only that, you have found a purpose-something that escapes most people their whole lives. Keep sellin' those fishstyx! XOXO Chris
P.S. A little saying that caught me at yoga one night:
"When you're hitting the currents of life, make sure to look at who is in the canoe with you."
Amazing what sobriety and following 12 suggestions bring us. Following direction from a new Director results in some pretty cool changes in our lives.
Thanks for sharing that, it is a good example and reminder of what changing our own attitudes can do for us.
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