If there is one thing I have learned about life, it\’s that change is inevitable. Nothing stays static. Life is dynamic.
The changes in my life have led me to an interesting place. I didn\’t see it coming and wouldn\’t have planned for it. But nevertheless, life has a way of unfolding before us.
Businesses come and go. Relationships are fragile. Uncertainly lurks with each new morning. As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, \”It\’s always something.\”
It\’s great when all pistons are pumping and our lives are free from crisis and/or drama. But those seasons are few and far between. Crisis and/or drama is more likely to exist in some form than not. We find ourselves in transitional times. These are the \”in-between\” places.
The key to not only surviving, but thriving, in those in-between places, is the choices we make when we find ourselves neither here nor there.
The past few years have found me in a number of in-between places. As a result, I made the choice to pull back from my business by selling off some of my sites and bringing my staff of over thirty people down to a staff of one. (That would be me!).
I have called this period of time a sabbatical of sorts, even while I continue to be engaged with my business on some levels. It has been a much-needed break and has allowed me to ask the question \”What do I want to be when I grow up?\”
My sabbatical has led to a wonderful time of personal growth and introspection, allowing me to focus on areas of my soul that had been somewhat neglected.
I may or may not discuss more of this personal journey in the future, but for now I really just want to set the stage to explain one of the choices I made. I found it to be instructive in my life, so I want to share it with you in hopes that you may glean something useful from my experiences.
Last summer (2012) I began thinking through options of things I could do with my life that would stir up my comfort zone. What activities could I participate in that would shake my paradigm and re-establish a sense of perspective that I may have forgotten or missed entirely?
One thing I have recently done is participated in an Improvisational Comedy class at a local improv club. I\’ll save that one for another day, though. Back to last summer…
I started working when I was fourteen years old. My first job was making pizzas and sandwiches at the food court in the local mall. Other jobs through the years included clerk at a video store, a department store and a toy store, I spent time as a janitor in a health club, interned at an ad agency, spun records at nightclubs and did a couple radio DJ stints. I\’ve worked at two nationally syndicated radio ministries in a number of capacities, and my first real entrepreneurial outing was as a mobile disc jockey. I estimate that I was hired for well over one-hundred private functions from 1988-1994.
In 1995, I started my own Internet business and haven\’t looked back.
That said, I hadn\’t worked for anyone else for a LONG time.
I didn\’t \”need\” the money, but I thought finding a part-time shift would help expand me both personally and professionally. After all, every experience can be a learning experience.
I wasn\’t looking for anything long-term, but I did want to work somewhere that made sense for me. One or two shifts per week would give me the opportunity to both bring value to an organization and hopefully walk away with a new perspective.
I began surveying the opportunities that existed.
Outside sales? Negative. Been there, done that. I have sold emergency response equipment to the elderly and ill (Remember \”I\’ve fallen and I can\’t get up\”? Yes, I did housecalls to sell that gear!). I sold Encyclopedia Britannica door-to-door.
Food service? I just couldn\’t see myself lasting behind a drive-through window or as a waiter for very long. Next, please!
Retail? Yes, it had to be retail. So where would I be able to be of value and enjoy my position?
The standard operations came to mind first. Target, Wal-mart… I could make a nice greeter, but maybe I\’ll wait until I am seventy years old for that.
Clothing store? I\’m not really all about style. Clothes don\’t excite me.
Electronics? Hmmmm… now there is something I could relate to. But do I really want to be a \”blue shirt\” at Best Buy, having to annoy customers with \”Have you found everything okay?\” every time I see them? No, I don\’t think I could pull that off. I suppose there is The Apple Store, but I am already too much of an Apple user. Besides, Apple is no longer hip… they just think they are.
That left me with just one option in my mind. A niche that I am familiar with, have had success in, and enjoy on a regular basis.
Books!
As a New York Times best-selling author, I wondered what it would be like to work at a bookstore.
Apart from a few small, independent booksellers, there is only one real \”big box\” store left in the retail space… Barnes & Noble.
I know books. I love books. Barnes & Noble SELLS my books! Wouldn\’t this be a great place to bring my knowledge and see what it would be like on the other side of the counter?
So I did a short stint as a bookseller at B&N. And in my next entry, I\’ll share my experiences, along with some of the things I discovered both personally and professionally while on the job.
What questions do you have for me about this experience? Perhaps I\’ll be able to answer some of them in my follow-up post. Feel free to use the comments form below for questions or just to speak your own mind!