Level Up and Rise Up

The last few days I have had a chance to engage in some pretty deep conversations with my sweet husband. He is at a crossroads right now and it's time to make a decision regarding his career and future. For many months he has prayed that he would be given an opportunity for a new job, one that would allow him to grow and develope. His job right now was only supposed to be temporary and he is now two years into it. There is no where to go, no growth, no future. One night while working at Maverick, he overheard two men talking. One of the men was a manager for the new Panda Express that has just opened here. Lipe overheard him telling the other man that they were looking for good people to come work there, someone that was not afraid of hard work and someone that wanted to take their career to the next level. Lipe jumped in on that conversation and expressed his interest in that position. He didn't even really know what the "position" was, but knew at that moment, this could be an answer to his prayers. He had a conversation with the manager and was told how to go about applying online. Within a few hours, Lipe completed that application. He called me at work and was very excited. When he told me that he was being asked to come in later that morning for a "second" interview, I was confused and asked him "when was the first one"? He laughed and said, "apparantly when I was working at Maverick and he talked to me, that was the first one"! The next few days were a whirlwind of completing paperwork, shopping for uniforms and I knew something was different about this whole process when I found out that the manager met him at the Virgin River Cafe one morning to buy Lipe breakfast, and they talked ALOT about what Panda could offer my husband, it he wanted it bad enough. I have never seen someone take an interest in a future employee and I have found that this guy has been just what my husband has needed. Someone to give him the knowledge, skills and courage to press forward with something new. They initially decided to start him working four days a week and he would work around his other full time job. Lipe's "position" was the absolute bottome of the barrell, however with his manager by his side, he is already learning so much. They have talked alot about how a good manager has to know ALL of the positions, and it's an even better manager if they too started at the bottom. I have seen a change in my sweet husband, he doesn't see it yet because when it's time to step out of his comfort zone and learn the new position, he is nervous. He sees the others that have been doing it for many years and how fast they work. He feels slow, clumsy and akward. I keep reminding him that we have all been there when starting a new job. He has been working 80 hours a week now for the last 6 weeks. He is exhausted, but has not waivered. He is such a hard worker, but it's time to make a decision. His body needs rest, he is mentally exhausted, and when that mental exhaustion sets in, mistakes are made. I finally dug deep enough and found out that the biggest thing holding him back is fear. Fear of stepping out of that comfort zone, fear of the unknown and fear of being inadequite. We all have these fears. How often do we fail to reach our goals, because of fear. I have really enjoyed seeing the excitement in my husband that working around his manager has given him. One of the most important jobs as a leader is to "eliminate fear from the workplace". I have seen how Lipe has already grown by "Leveling up his associations", and I love seeing his self-esteem grow because someone became invested in him. Sometimes in life that's all we need, is just for one person to become invested in us. To show us that we we can do hard things and to believe in us. When we begin to feel that support it's amazing how far we can go. When we make that conscious decision to go to the next level, we have to see it, and the fastest way to see it is to be around people who are already there. What level do you want to get to? Is there someone standing in your way? Is it yourself? Choose one person that you want to associate yourself with and develope a realationship with that person. Are there toxic people in your life? People that don't understand your goals and dreams? Setema Gali states "If you have big dreams and aspirations, don't expect the world to understand you. They're average. How could they possibly understand your drive to be great ad to want something they hate? Ignore them and create your dreams". What are your dreams? Envision what you want, See it, surround yourself with positive people that will help you get there, and then go after it. Kia Kaha