I started reading “What Color Is Your Parachute 2020 edition by Richard N. Bolles. If you are not familiar with this book, its one of the All-time 100 Best Non-Fiction Books. It is released with a new edition every year. It is geared towards job-hunters and career changers. However, it also has other purposes and the reason for my reading it. You will get the gist after reading the following quoted reasons by the author:
” If you are trying to understand yourself better and what you have to offer the world.”
“If you are trying to understand how the world, and particularly the world of work, really works these days.”
“If you’re going to college and can’t decide what you want to major in.”
The book is accompanied by workshops/workbook exercises to help with these decisions and choices. This workshop I will need to have written seven of these short stories. These stories have to include a goal and what wanted accomplished, a hurdle you faced, description, step by step of what was done, description of the outcome and a measurable or quantifiable statement about the outcome. The subject matter: a task you accomplished or so I thought. I started the book, at the end of January or beginning of February and I have touched it since. The reason. Fear.
Story #1
My senior year, I ended up working two jobs. I am a summer baby, so I was a little younger than others, in my graduating class. I didn’t turn 18 until the summer of ’99. i was living with my grandparents up until then. There is more to the story, other than, buying a car at 18, but it is irrelevant to what you are reading. I was working two jobs and not paying rent. Naturally, this would lead me into the decision to buy a car the day I turned 18. If I did this, it would be proof I was ready to adult. This is not a normal thing for a recently turned 18 year old, so naturally I didn’t have any credit. An obstacle, I didn’t think of because just hours ago I was only 17. I wouldn’t know this until enduring the grueling process of buying a car.
I woke up that July morning and while looking at the newspaper ads, I made the decision to drive to the dealership. I knew I wanted a Ford because I didn’t know any better and the Hines family didn’t drive anything but. My great-grandmother worked for Burt Chevrolet on Broadway for a really long time. That was the only dealership I knew. So, I drove to the Burt Ford dealership on Broadway. An 18 year old kid, trying to be a woman going to purchase a car. Another lesson I would not learn until after arriving. I made it to the dealership.
The next step, as you know was to find a car to make said purchase. I don’t remember many details. I don’t remember what the salesman looked like. I do know I settled on a ’99 Mercury Tracer. Onto financing, wait what is that?
Again, this naive little girl must of thought she was hot shit! I walked in there, no down payment, turned 18 that day, with just a job or two. I was going to drive off the lot that day with a car. Thank god, lessons like this are learned quickly! Well, kind of. I have six more of these stories to write, so out of character I’m going to cut my words short while using some cheesy cliche passed off as my own. I am testing if you are still reading this or if you stopped after the highlighted first paragraph seen from your notifications on your phone or email.
After about 4 hours, with help of my father and a lesson what a co-signer is I did drive off that lot with that car. Though frustrated I did not do it completely on my own, I was able to start building my credit, early. I made this decision the day I turned 18, which allowed me to be responsible enough to not go down the rabbit hole of credit cards until much later in life. It was because of this lesson I was able to accomplish this task.
In conclusion, not until after I wrote this story then did I realize I was supposed to write about a task I accomplished and had fun while doing this task. At least I had fun writing the story, right!? 😀 Progress. I also got my next story line for Story #2. I only have five more to go after this. I waited a month and a half to give you this Pulitzer winner.
It really is silly for me to procrastinate out of fear. Especially, when it comes to such meaningless tasks. I am starting to notice a difference, in myself. A growth or progression. Instead of just knocking out this story, I in turn, started this blog, which if you have ever written a blog is far more difficult than writing a short story. I had a job when I purchased this book. I wasn’t looking to change jobs. I was looking to become a better leader and current job development, at said job. I lost that job shortly after and now look what I am doing.
The Bee Keeper 