Work Those Connections!

I have one piece of advice for all of you out there in Internet-land – be fabulous at everything you do. I realize that it can be hard to bus tables with a sense of duty, especially if you use the job to keep reminding yourself that, hey, this sucks – but in a year, I’ll never have to clean up after other people again. Instead, why don’t you spend your time smiling and chatting with your customers?
Once upon a time, I worked as a waitress. It was taxing, irritating, and broke me down to tears on multiple occasions. I was great at it, though, and my enthusiasm for doing what I secretly hated leaked off onto my customers. I was told that I should consider a career with a well-known tax preparation agency – one of my customers who was especially interesting turned out to be an executive with said company, and said that my demeanor with customers was just was they were looking for. I might work that connection!
I am not a kid person, either. When my “baby” sister begged me to come to kindergarten with her to read to the kids, I only agreed because she wanted me there so badly. The kids were cute, but nerve-wracking. I had fun, though, and made a decent effort to connect with them. I went back a few times. This woman has offered me a letter of recommendation to use if I want to pursue higher education or a career with children. She still asks my mother if I’m in town, three years later.
Even if it’s not the career that you’re looking for, it’s still a connection that’s valuable to make. Think about that next time you’re running another basket of bread to the grumpy dude at table 4.