May I share a bit about me that will lead to a key point and a question for you? đ
August 1976-May 1980
Woohoo!!! I get to go to work today!!!
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
âJohnny, Mrs. Herson is on the phone for you.â
It was 2 a.m. on a summer morning in 1976, and my dad was rapping on my bedroom door to let me know the funeral home (pictured above) owner was calling. Someoneâs grandma had passed away at a “nursing home,” and the mortician needed help retrieving her.
I sprang from my bed, flew down the stairs, and zoomed across the living room into the kitchen to grab the landline phone. When I said, âHello,â Mrs. Herson responded, âOh, my, I could hear you coming!â
Yep, I was excited. Why? Because the âworkâ was specialâand made me feel special. While my friends were flipping burgers at McDonald’sâand thereâs nothing wrong with thatâI was doing this. Bottom line âŠ
I. Loved. Every. Minute.
In fact, it wasnât work. It was total enjoyment, and I was disappointed any day I wasnât called to help. They didnât need to pay me that generous $3/hour. đ
August 1980-January 1986
Ugh. Do I really have to go to work?!
That was me when working at a desk for a large corporation, Monday through Friday, 8-5 every day. I was not a happy camper.
During these 5 1/2 years, my wife and I lived in Minnesota, Montana, Missouri, and then back in Minnesota. I tried to be content but wasnât. In her journal in October 1980, two months after I started my corporate career, Karen wrote, âJohnny is bored at his job.â đđ»
The truth? Every day, I wished I was at a funeral home, upright, of course. I missed the work, the schedule, and that feeling of feeling special.
February 1986-April 1995
Whoohoo! I was done with the 8-5 routine in Dullsville and having a blast!
After leaving the corporate world, I found my niche. Selling and facilitating management and sales training made me feel alive again! Even though my schedule was chaotic, our future uncertain, and the work the most demanding Iâd ever done. Imagine phoning 30+ managers and executives daily, pushing them to give you an appointment to sell them stuffâand sometimes being hung up on. Then going on those sales calls to receive more No’s than Yes’s.
Painful at times, exciting at othersâand special. I was feeling special again. I’d found my niche. đđŒ
And, as humbly as possible, I can say I got pretty good at it. The decade flew by.
May 1995-Today
I am a keynote speaker!
In mid-1995, this is what I told myself. In fact, I told everyone I metâand thatâs what I became. Honestly, Iâve never looked back, never regretted one moment.Â
Am I special? Not necessarily, but in each opportunity I have to teach âPersonal Accountability and the QBQ!â I get that special feeling of knowing Iâm making a difference. Plus, I’m having tons of fun. đ
Mark Twain said, âFind a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.â Now that’s … special.
2 Responses
Congratulations John! Great job of framing your journey and career. Full disclosure for others, Stan Donnelly and I met you in the late summer of 1993 (During the Whoo-hoo! 3rd leg of your Career) – at that point our Company was 9 years old.
You delivered the training to our Leadership Team at Donnelly, and we took it from there – it was one of the four pillars we attribute the next 27 years of success to before selling the company in 2020. I had great fun creating the description of the “Luxury Lakes Motel” where you would stay for 3 or 4 nights during our first week of training. I still have the fax I sent to you in reply to your fax providing me with instructions and requesting information for your trip to Alexandria, Minnesota.
You used my over-the-top depiction of where you were quartering for the week as the first “uncover” for the first session of training we received that week – extending the fun for everyone present. Life has taught me having “fun” at work is largely a choice – my advice to anyone is to “choose fun”! People appreciate someone who does not take themselves and the challenges we faced TOO seriously. Are there dark times in careers and life? â sure! I simply developed the mindset that during those times, we were largely just building memories. Great days are often forgotten â but the dark periods seen to burn memories that endure and serve to provide a true sense of accomplishment.
I am not sure there was ever a time I felt “Special” per se, but there have been countless times I have felt blessed – and thus – thankful. I am very thankful that you were a part of our success story!
Wow, Ron! Thanks for this! You have an amazing memory …… I’d forgotten that hotel/motel in beautiful Alexandria, MN! So glad we found each other 30+ years ago. And a FAX? What is s FAX??? đ
Appreciate the kind words, Ron!