To do something with my hands and keep busy.. in my free time I write.. it probably makes sense to no one but myself, but I wanted to share....
Inventory –
Due to financial reasons, as well as personal fulfillment requirements I decided to get a part time job. The job that I applied for and received just so happened to be one at a department store. The store itself is one of those high-end department stores that cater to those who want designer labels at not-so designer prices.
When I first started, it was mandatory that I attend a 3-day training session. The training covered areas such as, using the register, customer service and balancing the cash register at the end of the day.
It had been a while since I’d worked retail, and even longer since I had held two jobs at the same time. While my working days were much longer, I found that I actually like working in the department store. It puts me in touch with the general public, something that I hadn’t done in a very long time, having working in the corporate world for over 15 years.
I had always been under the impression that out of every experience there is a lesson involved. And while, I wasn’t looking for a lesson necessarily at the department store, I must definitely found one.
The lesson that I learned wasn’t necessarily how to ring up sales, talk to people or even how to fold sweaters and hang up blouses. It had nothing to do with my responsibilities whatsoever. The lesson that I learned from working at the department store was how the store handles its inventory. The store that I was actually working in wasn’t unique to the process. Every store that I thought about handled its inventory process in quite the same way.
At the end of every season, the store does a huge inventory. In order to prepare for the upcoming season, all current season clothing is put on clearance and sold for more than ½ off of the original asking price. The stores hire extra help to count exactly what they have in stock for each department. They look at records to find out how each item is performing in sales. They pay special attention to the inventory that they purchased specifically for the passing season. By doing this, they get a clear picture of not only how they did for the past season, but also to try and predict what they may need for the upcoming season. This all takes place after the store has closed and there are no customers walking around during the inventory process.
So, what does a story doing inventory have to do with a lesson for my life personally.
I believe that, just like a store paying special attention to its inventory, we as people need to do the same. So the other day, I sat down and did just that. I took a night that I had completely to myself. Grabbed a notebook and went to a quiet place to think. I wrote down all of the people that I had in my life, making note of the place that they held there. Next to their name I put a + sign or a - sign, indicating what value they’ve added during the last year. I made notations of some lessons that I learned by having them there, growth that I made personally by knowing them, pain that was caused, and experiences that I had by having them be a part of my life. I took my time writing up this list, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything in the process.
Once my list was completed, I started with the people that had + signs next to their name and reflected again on the last year, and then thought about the coming year. Were the experiences truly ones that I wanted to repeat, what would have happened had this person not been a part of my last year? Would it have made a difference to the person that I am today? And if so, would that difference be a good thing or a bad thing? Then I looked at the people with – signs next to their name. One would automatically assume that I could just cross them off my list without further investigation, but that’s not what I wanted to do. I again reflected my previous year’s experience with them. Was it truly bad? Did I learn any lessons? Are they lessons that I need to repeat or did I get it right the last time?
What I learned by taking stock or inventory of my life and the people that I choose to have be a part of it is that no matter what part the person played in it, it should be a learning experience. Just like department stores take a risk on purchasing 50 pairs of a particular style of slacks (for instance) and maybe they only sold two pair. The lesson that the store learned is to never order that quantity of those slacks again or maybe to not order that style at all. They realize that the merchandise is not being sold, so the lesson was learned and recorded for future reference.
When I took inventory of my life, I realized that I had un-needed inventory in my life. There was no value being added by having it in my life nor was there a purpose being filled. It was time for me to not just realize this lesson, but to do something about it. I will admit that it must be much easier for a department store to get rid of unneeded or unnecessary stock than it is for me to clean out my life of unnecessary people. After all, these are people, not merchandise.
It wasn’t an easy thing to do, and I thought about how I should go about the letting of people go. Do I send them a letter and say “Dear Xfriend, you are no longer needed therefore, I am letting you go.” Or do I make a telephone call and tell them, or do I just let time dissolve the relationship. What I found that works best for me is to relax and release. A true friend that adds value when show themselves to be true. The ones who are their to only take away will show the same. There was no “Dear John” letter that I needed to write, no agonizing phone calls made, there was just time. Once I let them go from my mind, it was as if the inventory was being cleaned. I began to feel better, almost lighter right at the moment when I allowed my mind and heart to become free. I no longer felt weighted down by the burdens of unnecessary inventory. I became free to focus my attention on my immediate family and me. And I began to feel better.
So the lessons that I learned from working at a department store are:
 Take a quiet time when you allow no one to interrupt your thoughts
 Evaluate the people (inventory) in your life.
 Compare this to the pass season or year
 Make note of everything learned
 If they are no longer serving a purpose or have never served a purpose, free them from you life.
 Remember that even through mistakes, there are lessons to be learned.
 Make room in your life for new experiences.
 Do this regularly.
Have you ever walked into a store after an inventory has been preformed. The sales floor is left in immaculate order. The floors are cleaned, the stock is replenished, the displays are shiny and everything looks brand new. If this process weren’t repeated at the end of every season, the sales floor would again look cluttered, crowded and unorganized. It is for this very same reason that we are to take stock of our lives on a regular basis.
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
<small>[ July 29, 2004, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: FeelinGuilty ]</small>
