09/15/04

Life at the supermarket is going well. The coffee shop hasn't opened yet, but I am having fun working as a cashier. Rumor has it that the shop opens tomorrow, 09/16/04.

I joke with the customers. When customers pay with a debit card I have to ask them if they want any cash back. Then I ask them if they have any cash left. They laugh.

When people buy a lot of food, I ask them if they are having a function. If they are, I ask them what time should I be there. Some people invite me. I may take them up on their invitation.

Some customers look like they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. They look like the whole world is against them. I make it a point to talk with them. Most smile. This is my personal challenge - to see how many grumpy looking people I can make smile.

Working in the supermarket is fun. The pay sucks, but I do enjoy the work. They are looking for full-time employees. I signed up. While the part-time pay sucks, full-time pay (with the help of the union) is better.

I am incorporating the ideas from the books Fish! by Ken Blanchard that explains the principles used by the workers of the World Famous Pike Place Fish in Seattle and Catch! A Fishmonger's Guide to Greatness, by Cindi Crother and the Crew of World Famous Pike Place Fish (ISBN: 1-57675-254-2, pub. 2004). These books provide many basic principles that apply to any job. This philosophy is also great if you are in a work transitional phase.

Some valuable tips are:

• Many people go through life reacting to circumstances and events rather than creating what happens.
• I am responsible for what I experience and how I react to what occurs in my life.
• What is my intention?
• Are my behaviors aligned with my intention?
• Does what I am doing reflect my intention?
• What is the outcome that I am going to make happen?