YOU MAKE THE CALL

YOU MAKE THE CALL

Pondering on my past, I recall the many mistakes I have made. Growing up
with a family that was not rich but far from poor, illustrated the ups and
downs of life. The continual poor child or solely rich children have few
comparisons. The balance between comfortable and poor families, living in
the middle, seeing life's teetering edge, is where realization says, life isn't
always a bed of roses or as bad as it seems.

When times got hard, my grandparents communicated resolve without violence.
If my grandparents tremendous foresight detected an approaching storm, their
preplanning counter the issues. I didn't realize then how one learns and
remembers. It was the visuals as a child that has fortified me to conquer
life's hardships. No problem was too big to overcome or an issue too small
to ignore. An understanding collated with wisdom an awareness prepared us.
Life will go south, the answers exist within your readiness.

A employer once said, "if you will take care of the big things the little
things will take care of themselves. This doesn't mean turning away from the
little problems, it simply means, keep your peripheral vision handy.

Staying positive toward others is absolutely important to thrive. No matter
if it's your job, church, poker game, or home life, optimism and sensible
choices are crucial. Human involvement will constantly produce various
outlooks. It's the way you approach those discrepancies that will make a
difference between an argument or prompt solutions.

No matter your status in life, 99.5% of us will have a boss. Bosses are
either gentle or rude when implementing their advancements. Respecting that
authority will get you everywhere. People are more successful when they
exercise politeness, self-control, appreciation, and preparation. Even
during a disagreement, you don't always have to be nice but you must be
polite. For the most part, Americans lack these fundamental skills.

Some of my best teachings came from being a route salesman. Most
subordinates have only one or two bosses in the work place, I had 60.
Answering my direct boss that hired me was priority. If the phone didn't
ringing and my tickets were signed and stamped, Mack and I got along well.
It was the management within the major grocery stores, drug stores, and independent dealers that tossed you many different personalities
to contend with. That was challenging.

The first two years of that 14 year job was miserable compliments of myself.
It was my understanding boss Mack Baker,(God rest his soul), that educated
me how to survive. Mack said, you can not butt heads with 60 arrogant store
managers, but you can't win.

Store managers are powerful within their companies, their supervisors will
inevitably take their side. These individuals managed stores making up to
150 million dollars a year, clearly knowing what was best. Mack told me, go
in the store, do your job the best you can, agree with the conceit even if
they're wrong. WOW! Mack was correct. I was too occupied with being right
when I was really wrong. I found, agreeing or disagreeing is not imperative,
keeping my mouth shut was. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at
all. Also, do not forget to put the past behind you, if you don't it will
drive you stupid.

Your rich boss man can make you or break you, the choice is yours.
Disagreeing comes easy, and too can be troublesome. What's tough is looking
past the rhetoric and obeying. This is not saying to agree with everything,
but how you disagree that's important. Again, you can disagree by saying nothing
at all. Body language will get the message across indirectly if used
properly. It does works if you remain patient and calm. No, this is not
manipulation, just a tactic to out fox the fox.

You must trust sound smart people. Just because they're intelligent or at a
higher status in life doesn't make them your enemy. Assertive instincts will
indicate the disingenuous. You should have little contact as possible with
these folks, remembering they're a minority group. The larger majority of
people are good and will not deceive you.

When I'm given the chance to pass on what life has taught me I will,
especially if our youth is involved. It's important to reveal to younger
adults that most people can be trusted. If you give them your word, please
follow though even if it means being behind the eight ball. Make sure to
provide them a sense of authority. Letting life's decisions be their own
will strengthen them now and later.

An example: a young man at church asked me for my advice. I tossed the
decision back to him. I was not surprised when he made the right choices. I
saw a smart young adult, that just needed confidence. Another time he was
not going to be available to help us. I told him we would cover for his
absence. He reminded me of his request the day before. Of course, I forgot.
I assure him to not be concerned. The bigger picture here is, he was not
intimidated to make his concerns known, trusting his better judgment. Did I
do something special? NO. I simply showed how upholding your words is
crucial, and to trust your own assessments. This allowing him to take
charge. He's not shy any longer.

I like helping young people see their inner strengths. A close friend much
more intelligent than myself said there was something special within me.
Chuck said one day it would just happen. I'm still waiting for my epiphany.
LOL

DO NOT forget young Americans are watching and learning. It took me 35 years
to come to my senses. Life evolves around our choices, this is what life is
made of. Too bad there's not always someone there to remind us of this. Life's
lessons are easily forgotten when running, playing, working and worrying.

THE BOOKIE
ASHEVILLE, NC