I just got a FedEx delivery. This was a new driver, and as always, I talked to him about his work – did he love it, did he have any dreams for something else, etc. I asked if he was an employee or an independent contractor as I know FedEx has both. Just the normal conversation I have with everyone I meet!!
He said his boss has 15 trucks and is an independent contractor. The young driver said that keeps them from unionizing – a fact that he dislikes. He’d like to be in the union so they could force FedEx to keep paying them more. He does like that with this model he can tell a customer it’s too much work to come back their drive so they have to meet him at the road. And the work isn’t very hard – he can slack off and still get paid.
And then he told me his real dream is to have his own hot-rod building shop. We talked cars for a few minutes and I gave him a copy of the new 48 Days to the Work You Love – for which he was truly grateful.
So what do you think the chances are that he’ll ever have his own shop? I think it’s pretty close to zero. When someone has that strong sense of getting paid more for doing less, when they are looking for ways to avoid work and to serve the customer less, they are never going to make it in a venture of their own. Those attitudes will sabotage any possibility of being successful on your own. Theoretically, having your own business is a great way to have more time freedom and more income – but it doesn’t like up with your work ethic – at all. Keep getting that paycheck Dude because you’re lucky to be getting paid at all. You would absolutely fail in your own business.
Wow! One sad attitude to have…hopefully he will read your book and have an a-ha wake up moment.
Yeah we’ll see. Sometimes that happens and sometimes they just look for more excuses.
True. And people like that love using the blame game too…’someone else’s fault.’ I love sharing this quote when I hear those excuses. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” ~Jim Rohn
Dan, you didn’t even have to ask me the question on whether he would succeed or not. When I read that he wanted his own business some day I thought there is no way in Hades he will ever even come close with his attitude. He doesn’t even have the capacity to even start his own real business much less having a successful one. My guess he watches all the Velocity shows about making hot rod cars and he envisions himself doing that some day. That is as far as it will go, just a small vision in his small mind. (Sorry, I know that was uncalled for.) But that disillusioned young man had no clue what it takes to become a master in the car business trade. Those people on the TV shows making those cars have put in countless hours, days, months, years to reach that level. Every single one of those guys/gals started sweeping the floor at a shop making minimum wage, at best, and then moving up to become an apprentice or a helper and on up. Takes years young man as does anything to be successful. This young man is not willing to do that or he would be doing that instead of being a Fed Ex driver. He does not have that kind of drive (pun intended) at this time.
It is like couch potatoes complaining how much Russel Wilson or Tom Brady earn but don’t realize that each and every man on those teams work hard 12 months out of the years and have been doing that since high school and for many, even years before that.
To reach that level in sports or any occupation, it takes time, energy and most of all dedication.
I think Dan and Bob and I would guess the vast majority here all have an incredibly valid point and may prove to be right.
However, I would encourage you to also consider the story of Paul (Saul), John Mark, and Barnabas in the Book of Acts.
Paul was direct, decisive, quick to act, and didn’t take any opposition lightly. He was fervent and some might even say a hot-headed at times.
However, the irony is that because of his reputation of strong persecution of followers of Jesus, many were afraid and unwilling to meet with him. (Acts 9:26).
However, a man named Barnabas did courageously seek out this dangerous Saul of Tarsus.
Later, when an intern named John Mark failed to meet Paul’s expectations, he didn’t want to have anything to do with him. However, this same Barnabas who had risked his reputation and life to befriend Paul tried reasoning with him to reconsider his position toward John Mark. The disagreement between them was so strong that they ended up disbanding as ministry partners (Acts 15:39).
Luke (author of Acts) does not explicitly takes sides in the dispute. He simply recounts the story.
When I read posts here they often remind me of Paul — direct, decisive, quick to act. Many of you, including Dan, I am sure are hardworking, very determined individuals, who have achieved success by diligence and sustained personal effort. That is great and to be commended.
2 Timothy 4:11 says that Paul requests John Mark to come because “he is a great help to me in ministry.”
Is it the same ‘John Mark’? We can’t be sure, but it appears to be.
I like to think it is.
Whether you are right or wrong, my prayer is that this young FedEx driver will find a Barnabas soon.
Of course he may change his attitude and I hope that he does. But unfortunately most will not and he may very well be the exception. Most people do change their attitudes during life but to what extent only God can answer that.
The truth is no one at this point knows what will happen to this driver. Not Dan, not me. Current failure certainly can be, and often is, a predictor of future failure, especially in a declining culture where parenting, schooling, and entertainment often fail to instill principles of enduring wisdom.
However, what if someone takes shortcuts because they are bored, unmotivated, and don’t have a passion for what they do? Or because they don’t understand what will sustain their happiness?
Just watch a kid in school with a less than inspiring teacher who doesn’t know how to motivate this particular underachiever. Watch that same kid in the presence of a great motivator (not a judge or a prophet of doom, but a true motivator) and you would be amazed at the change in performance. Same kid; different tactic; different belief system.
On the other hand, many of the great turn-around stories of people in history can be told of individuals who were thought to be ne’er-do-wells but it turns out they were just far from their passion.
Too many times I think we have it backwards: If that fat kid would just move more he wouldn’t be fat. Correlation, not causation. If he had energy, felt good, and wasn’t ashamed he would naturally want to play, move, and exert himself. So the better question is what is making him fat? Too often we settle for “because he doesn’t move more.”
I will predict the opposite than Dan did. I think this guy probably hates being a delivery driver because it is boring and he doesn’t see how it matters. The fact that he was willing to talk to Dan and Dan showed personal interest is like the Hawthorn Effect. The book will further open his eyes to possibilities. And he will succeed. :- )
I won’t be too judgmental . Maybe he can trun it around but.it does sound as though He is a little too much into an employee mentality. I once heard that the payment for the boss is to supply the Motivation that the employee cannot or something to tthat effect. I do wish him luck in any case. Sometimes people have to be forced to change.
That is a problem that I see more often than not in our society and it seems to span many generations. It is the attitude or business plan of how little can I produce in order to earn a dollar. Completely the opposite attitude of the successful pioneers of the industrial revolution. I just recently read about Henry Ford’s quest to create and perfect the assembly line. He was trying to create a system in which he could give the customer as much as possible in exchange for their hard earned dollar.
What amazes me is how normal this mentality is… Too often people are looking for ways to work around the work. It would be more rewarding to actually roll up their sleeves and do the work. Thanks Dan