In the not so recent past, I was an employee at a local Best Buy. As a fresh college grad, I was doing what I could to pay the bills while avidly looking to start my ideal career. One day I was helping a father and his son select a new computer. The father and I engaged in a little small talk during the sale, and I was asked about my schooling and extracurricular interests. Speaking candidly, I let him know of my accomplishments in college and my field of study. After I finished, his son looked me dead in the eye and snickered, "all of that just to work at Best Buy." I was stunned. Not only with anger, but with humiliation because I thought his words had truth in them. The dad quickly tried to do some damage control, but the words had already taken their toll. Life sure has a way of kicking you while you're down, huh? Luckily for you and me, jobs don't dictate our self-worth. We do.
The Bottom to Top Theory
Sure I knew I graduated with honors, and that was just a temporary job, but the reality of not being where I wanted hurt. Badly. These feelings are shared by many laborers who seem to be at the very bottom of their organization and at a mental crossroads. The truth is, that story is the best thing that ever happened to me. Have you ever met someone that has been given everything they have ever wanted? Whether it be from parents or some other donor, life to them is a blurred existence where needs and wants are almost indistinguishable. This might not be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that they are actually cripplingly inept. How would you know the true value of food if you were never hungry? How could you appreciate joy if you never cried? How can you be of worth if you never had to develop any skills? The understanding and humility that the road to success brings cannot be replaced or duplicated by any other means. Even though the media likes to promote that anyone can be rich and famous at any given second (just get a reality show about your life). They also like to detail the painful decline of stars that lost their shine. Think about it for a second. The people at the lowest levels of a company; 1. are purely evaluated by their craft 2. are most familiar with the goods and services, and interact with the customer on a daily basis (3.) Gone are the theories and the corporate rhetoric; only the people in the trenches fully know what needs to be sold, what isn't being sold, and what's not going to sell. No matter how brilliant or lucky you are, your effectiveness will always be limited if you don't have this experience. This is also why people who prey on others and cheat their way to the top never reach the same level of success as those who did it legitimately.
Consider the bald eagle. If any outside source helps or aids the eagle chick break out of its shell, it will never be able to fly, and it will eventually die. The baby eagle has to develop the strength on its own to break out of its shell, and only with that strength will they be able to fly. If you are starting off at the blue-collar level soak in your surroundings, you are enduring the very essence of business. The flaws, errors, and unmet desires that you see are the ideas that CEOs spend millions to alleviate. After you master the things around you, you will be able to soar to the career of your dreams.
The Grind
If one thing is understood in entry-level, everything you do can be traced directly back to you. You're not the manager, so you can't point the finger to your subordinates. You aren't apart of a board so that others can share the blame if something goes wrong. You alone are solely responsible for the assigned work, and there is a never-ending supply of peers for your work to be compared to. Even if you hate your job, your work is reflective of yourself. There are those that get the job done but aren't worried about the fine details. There are those who care about the details too much to ever get the job done. Even still, there are others who have to have it perfect every time, and finally, there are slackers who don't care at all. It's easy to see who is destined for better things and who is destined for mediocrity. If you don't work, you don't eat, that's life. There are parts of every job that no one wants to do, and if you want to get to a place where you have less and less undesirable parts, your work will have to speak for itself. Most promotions and references start and end behind closed doors. Your customers, peers, and supervisors will be letting the world know far more about your work ethic than you ever could by yourself. It will speak for you regardless if you want it or not, but you dictate what it will say.
The Prominence Perspective
As much as I felt bad about that kid's slick remarks, the truth was he didn't know me. He didn't know what I'm capable of, nor the people that I knew. I had plenty of things going for me before that time and many more afterward. Someone who hasn't known you for more than 5 minutes can never compartmentalize your future. Even if they have known you your whole life, all it takes is one opportunity (when preparation meets favor), and your life can be changed. Forever. Your life is a myriad of courses, filled with quizzes, tests, and cumulative examinations. Just because you might start at a lower class than someone doesn't mean you're off track. You may not need the harder lessons they have to endure, and they probably aren't built to handle the ones you are facing.
We are all uniquely and immaculately fashioned. Although it's hard to stay in your own lane and not get frustrated, you have to sacrifice for the success you strive for. Are you fine with irregular hours? Can you handle getting paid exclusively at the whim of any stranger you service? Could you hold your ego intact after being told you're not good enough time and time again? Well, actors/actresses can, and for years this is their existence. They go through many people's hell before they see the fruits of their labor, but the results are indescribably sweet for those who are committed.
Life has a funny way of taking the ones most likely to be looked over and making them the overseers. The person you didn't even want to tip last week might be tomorrow's leaders in a blockbuster film. People who have never seen the bottom won't stay on top long, and those with ambition will always get recognition. I encourage you to celebrate your hardships. They are the beginnings of your E! True Hollywood Story, the one you are shaping every day.