Hi Everyone,
Today’s blog is an extension to yesterday’s blog, where I added a caveat stating that some people might want to buckle up. So that’s your head’s up for today’s blog. If you didn’t read yesterday’s blog and you would like to, here’s the link, http://arebelsrant.com/because-i-hate/.
Okay so the best way for me to communicate today’s blog is to start with one of my past jobs. Here we go.
In the blog titled, Has My Vanity… ity/
(Here’s the link if you want to read that blog, http://arebelsrant.com/has-my-vanity/ ) I mentioned that I sold fragrances for over 17 years. It was a seasonal job that paid well and allowed me a fair amount of autonomy. For most of those years I worked by myself. All I had to do was show up, do my job, discuss with someone when I would leave for break or lunch, leave at that time and get back to work by whatever time. I LOVED that. It was great.
The smaller companies I worked for went bankrupt so I found employment with a big fragrance company at a bigger store. Things were a bit different. The commute was longer, the pay was more. Since there were more people working for the same company we would get together at the beginning of the day and discuss breaks and/or lunches. Everyone understood why we were there, that certain sections had to be covered more than others and why. Once in a while something came up and the odd change took place throughout the day. Everyone got along very well so we just adjusted accordingly. No fuss, no muss. That went on for years and it was great!
“Selling fragrance,” as it is called in the industry is a very transitional and seasonal job. People just seem to float in and out until they find other employment. One year my boss, aka, Rep, was having a really hard time finding enough people. About four weeks before Christmas she found the last person.
At first I couldn’t pronounce her name properly. Her name was not a traditional name like Lisa, Jennifer etc. and she always corrected me. I understood that. I hate when people address me as Ann(e) because my name is Anna. In fact I was born on Anna Day, hence my being named Anna. I was having such a hard time with her name I actually had her slowly sound it out for me as I watched her write it first phonetically and then properly on a piece of paper. It was that bad. Too bad it got worse.
Every day for the three weeks she worked with us there was something that she wanted to change. If she didn’t want to change the time of her break or lunch that each of us agreed to, she wanted to change the time of her shift. Could she start earlier, later, leave earlier, leave later? She didn’t want to wear the T-shirt she was supposed to. She won’t follow the dress code. That got my Rep in trouble with the store. She didn’t like where she worked. Apparently it was boring. She left her “post” whenever she wanted and never told anyone. That too got my Rep in trouble with the store.
Honestly, I have no idea what the store told my Rep, but my Rep told me that if I couldn’t see/find her, to stop whatever I was doing and IMMEDIATELY go to wherever she was supposed to be. The company I worked for was VERY close to losing a key spot in the store that they had worked, smoozed, and basically did whatever it took to get THAT spot. There is a lot that goes on into selling fragrances, especially at Christmas. My Rep told me that she would rather have me lose sales to another company than have the company we worked for lose THAT spot. It was that important.
My Rep would talk to her. I would talk to my Rep about her. I tried talking to her. She would tell me that she always knew what I meant. She was always sorry. By the time we were approaching the last ten days of selling this chick was driving me crazy and the drive was getting shorter every day! For whatever reason, she just did whatever she wanted, when she wanted. NOTHING else mattered. Her needs came first. Period.
About nine days before Christmas I was starting to slowly and then quickly lose my mind throughout the day with the constant changes this girl wanted to make and my racing to wherever she was supposed to be. I couldn’t believe it. Twenty minutes to two hours after everyone agreed to their break and lunch, the girl who rarely followed the dress code, was never where she was supposed to be, who kept getting my Rep in trouble, who was stressing me out STILL wanted to change EVERYTHING about her job that she was getting paid good money to do even though she wasn’t doing it! By then, everyone had to keep on BOTH eyes on her.
One day I just couldn’t take it. I had it with her and she knew it. Instead of coming to me, she started getting other people involved to ask to change whatever. Knowing full well what was happening I asked one of them, “What is wrong with her? I wish she would STOP complicating the simple! Has she EVER had a job before? This is a business! From the six of us, she’s the ONLY one that doesn’t get it! All of our lives have to change because of her. And she wonders why I’m pissed off at her? Really? Is she an idiot? My daughter is like what four, five years younger than her and she has more work ethic and sense than this one!”And so it began.
From that moment forward anytime she or someone she could convince to speak to me about changes got the same sentence, “STOP complicating the simple!” Because that was exactly what that girl was doing every day!
But that’s the thing. Some people complicate the simple every day! I almost did it. Thankfully I caught myself in time. Had I of gone ahead with THAT decision, I would have complicated my life.
But again, that’s the thing. Not everyone decides to think far enough ahead to see the ramifications of their decisions. Not everyone is pragmatic. Up until a few days ago, I thought that I was. Maybe I still am. I mean, I didn’t go ahead with THAT decision. And again, thankfully I could see what the possible ripple effect THAT decision would have had on my life. When I recognized what I almost did I actually called myself an idiot out loud because that’s EXACTLY what I would have been. AN IDIOT!!!
For anyone who still doesn’t know what I mean, here are a few examples. Having a hard time with your significant other? Try seeing past YOUR EYE-LIDS and stop taking them for granted. Got evicted from your apartment? Try paying the rent first before you buy the booze, drugs, clothes etc. Want to know why people are always pissed off at you? Try keeping your word. Don’t tell an elaborate yet transparent lie that even the blind can see through! Don’t get or try to get other people to do your dirty work. Wonder why you don’t have this, that and the other? Try getting off your butt and doing something towards your future instead of complaining! Wonder why no one wants to hang with you? STOP complicating the simple!!!
To me there is no reason to complicate the simple. In my opinion, simple people complicate the simple because they can’t see, refuse to see past their eye-lids!
If you would like to read other related blogs here are some links,
1) I HATE To Be Inconvenienced, http://arebelsrant.com/i-hate-to-be-inconvenienced/
2) Are You Kidding Me? http://arebelsrant.com/are-you-kidding-me/
3) You’re Gossiping–Interesting, http://arebelsrant.com/youre-gossiping-interesting/
4) Being Right, http://arebelsrant.com/being-right/
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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