So what is wrong with me? Zero motivation

[Fidei Defensor]

25 minutes ago, LonerAndy said:

And both always told me that G-d has a plan, a wonderful fantastic plan, that there is some place for me in this world, some place that I would actually fit in, and be fulfilled and be happy.  A place where when I showed up, people were actually happy I was there.

No disrespect to your parents, they meant well, but Jesus explains that we will never fit in this world: 

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19). 

The Word Church comes from the words kyriakos  and Ecclesia. Kyriakos  means “Called out of the world and called to God.” 

If you want to live hodly Christian life you are promised:

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). 

Christ said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it,” (Matthew 16:25) and “Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Notice Jesus doesn’t emphasize happiness (worldly) but suffering, with the joy being in the Lord to endure it. 

A great adage, “Life is hard and until you accept this you will never be happy.”

[LonerAndy]

13 hours ago, Fidei Defensor said:

No disrespect to your parents, they meant well, but Jesus explains that we will never fit in this world: 

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19). 

The Word Church comes from the words kyriakos  and Ecclesia. Kyriakos  means “Called out of the world and called to God.” 

If you want to live hodly Christian life you are promised:

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). 

Christ said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it,” (Matthew 16:25) and “Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Notice Jesus doesn’t emphasize happiness (worldly) but suffering, with the joy being in the Lord to endure it. 

A great adage, “Life is hard and until you accept this you will never be happy.”

But most people do have a place they fit into this world.   Everyone I know, has a place they fit into this world.  Everyone.

I can't think of anyone in my position, anywhere.  Now I mean people I have actually met.  Yes some people on the internet have said they are in the same position, and I take their word for it.

But everyone I actually know, has a place they fit.   The people from my high school, got degrees were successful, and have careers.    My relatives are all successful and have careers.  Doctors, lawyers, Engineers, Company Managers, Welders, Pipe Fitters, and on and on.  And nearly all of my extend family (praise G-d in Heaven) are all Christians.

Then there's me. I remember going to a family reunion one year (we meet every year), and someone asked me how much they were paying me at the job I was at, and I replied $10/hour.   And they laughed, like I was making a joke.  Then I remembered their own son in high school, was making more than that, and he was almost half my age.

Now again, the point isn't the money.   But the money can be a reflection that you have found your fit into the world.  When people find their place, they tend to earn more money, because you are good at what you do, and you have skills that match your career.

Or at the very least, you tend to stay with a job.  Employers tend to not fire people that are skilled and good at what they do.

I've had 40+ jobs now. 

2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

Yes, very true.  I have been persecuted for my faith more than a few times.   This is normal, and every Christian should expect it, if they intend to live a public Christian life.

Notice Jesus doesn’t emphasize happiness (worldly) but suffering, with the joy being in the Lord to endure it. 

A great adage, “Life is hard and until you accept this you will never be happy.”

Well then... I'm right on track.  Thanks for your time.  It was good talking to you.

 

[Who me]

On 7/15/2020 at 8:38 AM, LonerAndy said:

No amount of relationship is going to make a job less miserable.  I've had jobs with pretty decent co-workers, and that didn't change the fact that working there was awful.

Actually I find in a boring awful job having colleges who I can talk with or  who can make me laugh does make the job bearable.

On 7/15/2020 at 8:38 AM, LonerAndy said:

worked at an auto parts store, hated every minute of it, and they wanted to make me manager.

Why did you have it and why would you not try being the manager?

 

You have skills, have a good work ethic and are seen to be management material, why not try it.

 

We get out of life what we put in to it.

[Debp]

15 hours ago, LonerAndy said:

That's not a life.... that's a rodent in a cage.  I have to work at something I hate, so I can eat?  And why do I need to eat?  So that I can keep working at something I hate?  Really?  That is all there is?

That is a hamster running in a wheel, until it passes out, eats a few nuts, goes to sleep, and wakes up the next day to run in the wheel again.

If that is what the Christian life is about, get in the wheel and start running until you pass out, then give me a gun and one bullet.

Wow.   So give you a gun and one bullet?   So many of us have tried to counsel you about your negative thinking...but it doesn't seem to get through to you, what we are talking about.

So since you hate your jobs and your life so much....why don't you put all of this effort of complaining into trying to find your niche?   Perhaps take an aptitude test to see what you are suited for job wise.   Or talk to a pastor who is a good counselor.   Try to do something other than complain.

As another member mentioned, the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years because they kept complaining.   It should have only taken them forty days.

[LonerAndy]

6 hours ago, Who me said:

Actually I find in a boring awful job having colleges who I can talk with or  who can make me laugh does make the job bearable.

Why did you have it and why would you not try being the manager?

 

You have skills, have a good work ethic and are seen to be management material, why not try it.

 

We get out of life what we put in to it.

I don't know how to explain it, without completely explaining it.  So, this is going to be a long post.  Fair warning up front.

I don't know that I had skills.  It simply does not take "skills" to put a product on a shelf, so that it is straight.  Nor does it take "skills" to punch into a computer "Chevy Metro 2000" and match the number that pops up on the screen, to the number on the shelf.

I *DO* have a good work ethic.  That is true.

Why did I hate the job at the auto parts store?  I could write a book on that.

So I live in an middle class, or upper-middle class suburb.  I'm not in the ghetto or something.

Reasons I hated that job....

First, the customers.  Rude.  Insulting.  Obnoxious. I can't remember all of the times, that I bent over backwards to help customers, only to have those customers treat me with disdain.

I can remember one specific customers, and this lady had me running all over the store for her, and then when it was all said and done, she complained bitterly to my manager, and told me that she would have me fired.  Which honestly, was the only bright spot in the entire ordeal of dealing with her.  If they had fired me then, that would have saved me months of working there.

Now in full disclosure, I am terrible with people skills.  Always have been my whole life.   So it is possible that some of those situations were my fault somehow.  I don't know.  I just know that about myself, that I have lousy interpersonal skills.

Now to be fair, all retail jobs are terrible in my opinion, but there is something especially hideous about working at an auto part store.

If you work at Wendy's, customers typically at least know what they want, and go away when they get it.

Not so at the auto parts store.

People came in constantly, not knowing what they want, and they want you to figure out for them, what they need.  Often not even knowing what car they were driving.   One lady (real story), needed something, and I ask what car she was driving "I don't know" well what is the model?  "It's the blue one"  (I couldn't see it from inside the store) Well what make is it?  "Blue.  Can you go out and look at it?"

Not a joke.  Didn't even know what manufacture of car she had.  "Blue"  Blue Motors Corporation.    And there's a line of people behind her, and she wants me to wander around the parking lot, doing a Sherlock Holmes job to figure out what modern conveyance she used to shift her location to the present.

And it doesn't end there.   Half the customers that come in, do not want to just buy the part, but they want you to install it.  I told one customer "It says 'advance auto parts', not 'advance auto service' on the building".  People would come in, and then argue that you need to go out into a parking lot, and disassemble their car for them, and install the new part.   They wanted for free, what a trained mechanic would charge $100 for.   And you were a terrible employee for not working for minimum wage, and doing free auto repairs for them.

At least with Wendy's you didn't have customers coming in saying "I'm not sure what I want.  Can you tell me what I want?  Can I get Schezwan Chicken here or a double crust Pizza supreme?" and then after you managed to get them something they never said "Can you pre-chew it for me?"

But at the parts store, that happened every single week.  And the harder you worked for them, the worse it got.

The worst of the worst, was on the holidays.  People are just horrific to you, on the holidays.  How dare you... HOW DARE YOU... not prioritize them alone, above everything else on the planet?   How dare you want to go see the fireworks on the 4th of July?  How dare you! 

This is one of the reasons why I am a ridiculous tipper.  People laugh at me.   If I go to a restaurant, unless the staff is just flat out terrible, I always give a 20% tip or sometimes more.   Especially around the Holidays, if I go anywhere, or do anything, I tip massively.   I've been known to tip $20 for a $10 meal.   Because these people are paid little, and treated like absolute trash by customers.   The last big tip I remember, was this obviously immigrant Asian man, being chewed out at a Chinese place, because of the fork.  I bought a $6 meal with a credit card, and then handed him a $20.   Just ridiculous how impolite and awful people are these days.

So that's one side.  Now the other side.

I know I shouldn't.... but I get tremendously irritated with working hard, next to people who don't work at all.  Even if you work half as much as I do, that's fine.  But not at all?   I would say out of the entire store, I was one of two people that worked.   Couple of them would just walk out, whenever they felt like it. Right during their shift.  Then come back, like nothing happened.

Half were smokers, and would take 5 to 8 smoke "breaks" a day.  And few were alcoholics and druggies.  One guy just flat out disappeared.  Just vanished.  A week later he called the store "I woke up in a barn".  I can't make this stuff up.  This happened in real life, and he wanted his job back. 

I'd be stocking shelves, doing cycle counts, ringing out jerk customers, and taking care of business... and others would be in the back, sitting on cartons of oil, smoking a cigarette.  (yes you heard that right.  Smoking while sitting on stacks of oil).

My favorite were the guys that would drop everything, and run over to talk to me, about some attractive woman that came in.  That always brought such a warm feeling to me.  Here I am working non-stop, and they have so much free time, that they can walk around the store, to stare at some lady, and then after she leaves, still have time to follow me around while I work, to tell me about her.  As if I cared.

"Did you see that smoking hawt woman??" No... cause I'm working.  What are you doing?

(I told you I have zero social skills, right?)

Then you have management.  Management was brilliant at working people to the bone, and then asking for the bones.  That was their default.

Let me explain that.   So the normal path for management was, you first did your training courses.  You had to do those training course, while doing your normal store work.  You had to do both.

Then after you did your training, you would be promoted to Assistant Manager in Training.  You could be in that position for years.  After that, you would be promoted to Assistant Manager.   You could be in that position for years.  Then you would be promoted to manager.  From there it would be corporate.

I know someone who did that.  It was like 8 years before he was manager, and it was only because they opened a new store in the area, and thus needed a manager.  Otherwise, you have to wait until someone quits or dies.

Now here's the kicker.  Being manager, does not mean you have any less duties.  Only more duties.   Before you had to stock shelves, do cycle counts, ring out customers.   Now you have to stock shelves, do cycle counts, ring out customers and also fill out the corporate reports, assign shifts, and so on.

On top of that, you are now the filler.  Meaning, every time someone quits or doesn't show up for work, you get to fill in their shift.  Yes, you can call some of the other employees, but none of them would ever come, because they know you can't penalize them when they were not on the schedule.  And routinely skipped their shifts.  Like I said, we had alcoholics and druggies and so on.

But it's gets even better!....  even BETTER... BETTER I SAY!  Because over-time is highly frowned on.  See, being manager really isn't all that great money unless you include the profit-sharing bonus at the end of the year, which can be huge.   But if you have over time, then your profits are cut, and if your profits are cut, then the bonus is cut too.

And the only way to get promoted, is for the manager above you, to recommend you.

You start racking up over time, and your manager's profit bonus is cut..... kiss your chances of promotion away.

And at least to their credit, they told you this up front. They would say to you "Managers are expected to work 50 hours a week"... and then like a separate unconnected comment "Over time is highly frowned upon".

That guy I mentioned before, that became a store manager above?   He would come in on Saturday, and clean the store, wax the floors, and do it all.... off the clock.   He told me several times, that he changed his own clock times, to reduce or eliminate his over time.   He changed is his own clock punches, to avoid over time, so he could get the promotion.  And it did eventually work.  He's doing pretty well for himself.

Imagine working 50 hours a week, paid for 40, at low hourly rates, for 8 years.

But that basic view, played out throughout the store.  For example, I worked from open, to close, on Labor Day and 4th of July.

Now at the time, I was a part time employee.  I worked 30 hours.  But I opened and closed the store, on 4th of July, and Labor Day.   The manager showed up both days, for 2 hours and left.

Why?   Well the company policy was, that only full time employees got Holiday pay, and the manager got a $1,000 bonus for working on a holiday.   So he came in, recorded 2 hours of work, collected $1,000 bonus, and meanwhile he saved the store 16 hours of holiday pay, by having a "part-time" employee work two shifts on a holiday.  6 AM to 9:30 PM on 4th of July, no holiday pay.  Just straight time.

Brilliant move by the manager.  Absolutely brilliant.  Huge profit-sharing bonus, and he collected that holiday bonus pay, and of course the manager himself gets the 8 hours holiday pay.

And I should just for the sake of giving the managers side of this... the entire company operated on what I call a "You always suck" system of management.   Meaning, no matter what you did, no matter what you accomplished... you were terrible and need to do better.

So as I said before, my store was in the upper-middle class area.   We were one of the top 3 or top 5 stores in the entire Columbus Ohio district.  Didn't matter to corporate.  I remember one day the district manager came in, and was ripping our manager, that we should be doing better.  We can sell more.  We can make more profit.  We should be doing far better than we were.   One of the top stores in the 30+ stores in our area, didn't matter.  You need to do better.

And one of the key reasons I knew I would never be store manage, is because if that guy had walked into that store, and I was manager, I would have told him "No.  We're one of the top stores in entire city.  You can stuff it.".

And the district manager would have expected me, to do what my manager did.  Try and force part-time employees to work Holiday shifts open to close, to avoid paying holiday pay. 

No.  I would not have done that.

And I would also have had to deal with the people smoking all the time, and druggies, and people not showing up for work.

And the rude customers, and thieves we had a problem with.

No.

So you might ask, why in the world did they want me to be manager?  Why would they want me, when I hated the customers, hated the job, and didn't like the employees?  And by the way, they all knew all of this.  Everything I have said here, I said openly to them.

So why did they want me to be manager?  Not because of skills. Not because of talent. 

It was because no matter what they did, I still showed up, still worked, and still did what I was told to do.  That's it.  Work ethic.

So that was a fun story time.

I wager that explains all the reasons I hated that job so much.

Edited July 17, 2020 by LonerAndy

[LonerAndy]

1 hour ago, Debp said:

Wow.   So give you a gun and one bullet?   So many of us have tried to counsel you about your negative thinking...but it doesn't seem to get through to you, what we are talking about.

So since you hate your jobs and your life so much....why don't you put all of this effort of complaining into trying to find your niche?   Perhaps take an aptitude test to see what you are suited for job wise.   Or talk to a pastor who is a good counselor.   Try to do something other than complain.

As another member mentioned, the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years because they kept complaining.   It should have only taken them forty days.

I am trying.  I am listening to every single thing you have ever said, and the others who have posted.  I am giving it the best shot I know how.

Other than my counseling sessions with the pastor 12 years ago, I typically just reply to other people, about questions they have.  This is the first time in my whole life, I have ever posted a thread, about my own life.

And I certainly never bring up my problems with people in real life.  I would never go to a church group, and whine about stuff.  No point in that, and they don't care to hear it.

[Fidei Defensor]

5 hours ago, LonerAndy said:

But most people do have a place they fit into this world.   Everyone I know, has a place they fit into this world.  Everyone.

I can't think of anyone in my position, anywhere.  Now I mean people I have actually met.  Yes some people on the internet have said they are in the same position, and I take their word for it.

But everyone I actually know, has a place they fit.   The people from my high school, got degrees were successful, and have careers.    My relatives are all successful and have careers.  Doctors, lawyers, Engineers, Company Managers, Welders, Pipe Fitters, and on and on.  And nearly all of my extend family (praise G-d in Heaven) are all Christians.

Then there's me. I remember going to a family reunion one year (we meet every year), and someone asked me how much they were paying me at the job I was at, and I replied $10/hour.   And they laughed, like I was making a joke.  Then I remembered their own son in high school, was making more than that, and he was almost half my age.

Now again, the point isn't the money.   But the money can be a reflection that you have found your fit into the world.  When people find their place, they tend to earn more money, because you are good at what you do, and you have skills that match your career.

Or at the very least, you tend to stay with a job.  Employers tend to not fire people that are skilled and good at what they do.

I've had 40+ jobs now. 

2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

Yes, very true.  I have been persecuted for my faith more than a few times.   This is normal, and every Christian should expect it, if they intend to live a public Christian life.

Notice Jesus doesn’t emphasize happiness (worldly) but suffering, with the joy being in the Lord to endure it. 

A great adage, “Life is hard and until you accept this you will never be happy.”

Well then... I'm right on track.  Thanks for your time.  It was good talking to you.

 

No problem, just offering my two cents.  

[BeauJangles]

4 hours ago, LonerAndy said:

I don't know how to explain it, without completely explaining it.  So, this is going to be a long post.  Fair warning up front.

I don't know that I had skills.  It simply does not take "skills" to put a product on a shelf, so that it is straight.  Nor does it take "skills" to punch into a computer "Chevy Metro 2000" and match the number that pops up on the screen, to the number on the shelf.

I *DO* have a good work ethic.  That is true.

Why did I hate the job at the auto parts store?  I could write a book on that.

So I live in an middle class, or upper-middle class suburb.  I'm not in the ghetto or something.

Reasons I hated that job....

First, the customers.  Rude.  Insulting.  Obnoxious. I can't remember all of the times, that I bent over backwards to help customers, only to have those customers treat me with disdain.

I can remember one specific customers, and this lady had me running all over the store for her, and then when it was all said and done, she complained bitterly to my manager, and told me that she would have me fired.  Which honestly, was the only bright spot in the entire ordeal of dealing with her.  If they had fired me then, that would have saved me months of working there.

Now in full disclosure, I am terrible with people skills.  Always have been my whole life.   So it is possible that some of those situations were my fault somehow.  I don't know.  I just know that about myself, that I have lousy interpersonal skills.

Now to be fair, all retail jobs are terrible in my opinion, but there is something especially hideous about working at an auto part store.

If you work at Wendy's, customers typically at least know what they want, and go away when they get it.

Not so at the auto parts store.

People came in constantly, not knowing what they want, and they want you to figure out for them, what they need.  Often not even knowing what car they were driving.   One lady (real story), needed something, and I ask what car she was driving "I don't know" well what is the model?  "It's the blue one"  (I couldn't see it from inside the store) Well what make is it?  "Blue.  Can you go out and look at it?"

Not a joke.  Didn't even know what manufacture of car she had.  "Blue"  Blue Motors Corporation.    And there's a line of people behind her, and she wants me to wander around the parking lot, doing a Sherlock Holmes job to figure out what modern conveyance she used to shift her location to the present.

And it doesn't end there.   Half the customers that come in, do not want to just buy the part, but they want you to install it.  I told one customer "It says 'advance auto parts', not 'advance auto service' on the building".  People would come in, and then argue that you need to go out into a parking lot, and disassemble their car for them, and install the new part.   They wanted for free, what a trained mechanic would charge $100 for.   And you were a terrible employee for not working for minimum wage, and doing free auto repairs for them.

At least with Wendy's you didn't have customers coming in saying "I'm not sure what I want.  Can you tell me what I want?  Can I get Schezwan Chicken here or a double crust Pizza supreme?" and then after you managed to get them something they never said "Can you pre-chew it for me?"

But at the parts store, that happened every single week.  And the harder you worked for them, the worse it got.

The worst of the worst, was on the holidays.  People are just horrific to you, on the holidays.  How dare you... HOW DARE YOU... not prioritize them alone, above everything else on the planet?   How dare you want to go see the fireworks on the 4th of July?  How dare you! 

This is one of the reasons why I am a ridiculous tipper.  People laugh at me.   If I go to a restaurant, unless the staff is just flat out terrible, I always give a 20% tip or sometimes more.   Especially around the Holidays, if I go anywhere, or do anything, I tip massively.   I've been known to tip $20 for a $10 meal.   Because these people are paid little, and treated like absolute trash by customers.   The last big tip I remember, was this obviously immigrant Asian man, being chewed out at a Chinese place, because of the fork.  I bought a $6 meal with a credit card, and then handed him a $20.   Just ridiculous how impolite and awful people are these days.

So that's one side.  Now the other side.

I know I shouldn't.... but I get tremendously irritated with working hard, next to people who don't work at all.  Even if you work half as much as I do, that's fine.  But not at all?   I would say out of the entire store, I was one of two people that worked.   Couple of them would just walk out, whenever they felt like it. Right during their shift.  Then come back, like nothing happened.

Half were smokers, and would take 5 to 8 smoke "breaks" a day.  And few were alcoholics and druggies.  One guy just flat out disappeared.  Just vanished.  A week later he called the store "I woke up in a barn".  I can't make this stuff up.  This happened in real life, and he wanted his job back. 

I'd be stocking shelves, doing cycle counts, ringing out jerk customers, and taking care of business... and others would be in the back, sitting on cartons of oil, smoking a cigarette.  (yes you heard that right.  Smoking while sitting on stacks of oil).

My favorite were the guys that would drop everything, and run over to talk to me, about some attractive woman that came in.  That always brought such a warm feeling to me.  Here I am working non-stop, and they have so much free time, that they can walk around the store, to stare at some lady, and then after she leaves, still have time to follow me around while I work, to tell me about her.  As if I cared.

"Did you see that smoking hawt woman??" No... cause I'm working.  What are you doing?

(I told you I have zero social skills, right?)

Then you have management.  Management was brilliant at working people to the bone, and then asking for the bones.  That was their default.

Let me explain that.   So the normal path for management was, you first did your training courses.  You had to do those training course, while doing your normal store work.  You had to do both.

Then after you did your training, you would be promoted to Assistant Manager in Training.  You could be in that position for years.  After that, you would be promoted to Assistant Manager.   You could be in that position for years.  Then you would be promoted to manager.  From there it would be corporate.

I know someone who did that.  It was like 8 years before he was manager, and it was only because they opened a new store in the area, and thus needed a manager.  Otherwise, you have to wait until someone quits or dies.

Now here's the kicker.  Being manager, does not mean you have any less duties.  Only more duties.   Before you had to stock shelves, do cycle counts, ring out customers.   Now you have to stock shelves, do cycle counts, ring out customers and also fill out the corporate reports, assign shifts, and so on.

On top of that, you are now the filler.  Meaning, every time someone quits or doesn't show up for work, you get to fill in their shift.  Yes, you can call some of the other employees, but none of them would ever come, because they know you can't penalize them when they were not on the schedule.  And routinely skipped their shifts.  Like I said, we had alcoholics and druggies and so on.

But it's gets even better!....  even BETTER... BETTER I SAY!  Because over-time is highly frowned on.  See, being manager really isn't all that great money unless you include the profit-sharing bonus at the end of the year, which can be huge.   But if you have over time, then your profits are cut, and if your profits are cut, then the bonus is cut too.

And the only way to get promoted, is for the manager above you, to recommend you.

You start racking up over time, and your manager's profit bonus is cut..... kiss your chances of promotion away.

And at least to their credit, they told you this up front. They would say to you "Managers are expected to work 50 hours a week"... and then like a separate unconnected comment "Over time is highly frowned upon".

That guy I mentioned before, that became a store manager above?   He would come in on Saturday, and clean the store, wax the floors, and do it all.... off the clock.   He told me several times, that he changed his own clock times, to reduce or eliminate his over time.   He changed is his own clock punches, to avoid over time, so he could get the promotion.  And it did eventually work.  He's doing pretty well for himself.

Imagine working 50 hours a week, paid for 40, at low hourly rates, for 8 years.

But that basic view, played out throughout the store.  For example, I worked from open, to close, on Labor Day and 4th of July.

Now at the time, I was a part time employee.  I worked 30 hours.  But I opened and closed the store, on 4th of July, and Labor Day.   The manager showed up both days, for 2 hours and left.

Why?   Well the company policy was, that only full time employees got Holiday pay, and the manager got a $1,000 bonus for working on a holiday.   So he came in, recorded 2 hours of work, collected $1,000 bonus, and meanwhile he saved the store 16 hours of holiday pay, by having a "part-time" employee work two shifts on a holiday.  6 AM to 9:30 PM on 4th of July, no holiday pay.  Just straight time.

Brilliant move by the manager.  Absolutely brilliant.  Huge profit-sharing bonus, and he collected that holiday bonus pay, and of course the manager himself gets the 8 hours holiday pay.

And I should just for the sake of giving the managers side of this... the entire company operated on what I call a "You always suck" system of management.   Meaning, no matter what you did, no matter what you accomplished... you were terrible and need to do better.

So as I said before, my store was in the upper-middle class area.   We were one of the top 3 or top 5 stores in the entire Columbus Ohio district.  Didn't matter to corporate.  I remember one day the district manager came in, and was ripping our manager, that we should be doing better.  We can sell more.  We can make more profit.  We should be doing far better than we were.   One of the top stores in the 30+ stores in our area, didn't matter.  You need to do better.

And one of the key reasons I knew I would never be store manage, is because if that guy had walked into that store, and I was manager, I would have told him "No.  We're one of the top stores in entire city.  You can stuff it.".

And the district manager would have expected me, to do what my manager did.  Try and force part-time employees to work Holiday shifts open to close, to avoid paying holiday pay. 

No.  I would not have done that.

And I would also have had to deal with the people smoking all the time, and druggies, and people not showing up for work.

And the rude customers, and thieves we had a problem with.

No.

So you might ask, why in the world did they want me to be manager?  Why would they want me, when I hated the customers, hated the job, and didn't like the employees?  And by the way, they all knew all of this.  Everything I have said here, I said openly to them.

So why did they want me to be manager?  Not because of skills. Not because of talent. 

It was because no matter what they did, I still showed up, still worked, and still did what I was told to do.  That's it.  Work ethic.

So that was a fun story time.

I wager that explains all the reasons I hated that job so much.

Andy, bro... I'm seeing a rather long post here. Very thought provoking. Can I ask you why so much time on this when you should be looking for gainful employment? Just saying. Okay, carry on. Go get that job! 

Edited July 17, 2020 by BeauJangles

[Wesley L]

On 7/16/2020 at 8:18 PM, LonerAndy said:

And both always told me that G-d has a plan, a wonderful fantastic plan, that there is some place for me in this world, some place that I would actually fit in, and be fulfilled and be happy.  A place where when I showed up, people were actually happy I was there.

That claim is not fully true.  That promised place sounds more like heaven and is not on earth. That is our eternal hope.

 

On 7/16/2020 at 8:18 PM, LonerAndy said:

Now think about that.  This man spent his entire life doing something he absolutely hated, for his family that despised him, for his wife that never had a good thing to say about him for as long as I knew her, so that when he finally retired, he ends up with a chronic illness so he'll spend the rest of his life in bed or the hospital.  That's his whole life.

Certainly don't be or become this man! But as I said, the problem is not the job, but the man you are describing. I believe he must have colleagues who love that same job.

On 7/16/2020 at 8:18 PM, LonerAndy said:

That's not a life.... that's a rodent in a cage.  I have to work at something I hate, so I can eat?  And why do I need to eat?  So that I can keep working at something I hate?  Really?  That is all there is?

What I am saying is, the reason you are hating the jobs doesn't have anything to do with the jobs in question. But it is you.
Be gratefull for even the most meaningless jobs. Be gratefull for even the worst colleagues.
We can only be gratefull and joyfull like that through faith in Jesus Christ.
I am not telling you to force yourself to be gratefull. I am pleading for you put your faith in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit you will receive a peace that is beyond human comprehension.

 

On 7/16/2020 at 8:18 PM, LonerAndy said:

I envy you.  I have tried to do this.  When I had jobs I despised, I tried to just think happy thoughts, and pretend it was great and wonderful. Yeah, that didn't work.  Eventually all the happy thoughts fade into reality.

Jesus Christ did not like it to hang on the cross and die. But He did it gratefully because of love and mercy. By His grace we are saved through faith in Him.  If the King of Kings serves His people like this, what I am to complain about? This is the perspective of a christian.

Our hopes are not of this world, our hope is everlasting life in heaven with our Lord.

Praying for you!

 

[Wesley L]

13 hours ago, LonerAndy said:

But most people do have a place they fit into this world.   Everyone I know, has a place they fit into this world.  Everyone.

If you look at facebook, instagram. Oh, what perfect lives people have. 
If you watch tv, oh, what perfect lives do these celebrities have.

Nothing is as it seems. Don't be fooled by the outside of things. Do you know how many celebrities take their own lives?
Each "perfect" family has their own problems and worries. Life is full of troubles and always ends in death.
Nothing in the world can fill the void. Only Jesus Christ can give true meaning to our lives as He is the source of life.

Life on earth is not only bad and empty. Since I became a born again christian, I am blessed with many things. Got rid of my anxiety problems about money and work, got rid of my bad behaviors towards my wife (work in progress), got rid of my porn addiction and got rid of my pride. Lots of peace came into my life and the words of God became clearer and clearer to me.
My life is far from perfect from a worldly perspective, but that doesn't matter anymore. Because the focus is now on the heavenly things and sharing the gospel to unbelievers.

Not any job can give you the fullfillment that you are looking for.
Not any colleague, friend, family or spouse can give you the fullfillment that you are looking for.
No fame, fortune, holidays, entertainment can give you the fullfillment that you are looking for.
No selfhelp book, quickfix tutorial, psycholigist or religion can give you the fullfillment that you are looking for.
Jesus is the only way.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Wesley L