Going Nuts…

I discovered a macadamia nut of unknown age in my car today and when I finally stopped driving – decided to have a go at opening it. In general, I am very fond of them and they are a favorite snack of mine so I had a lot of high hopes for this locked up treasure.
I didn’t have any of the right tools with me to open it and because I was in an unknown environment I had to make do with what I had. I fumbled around a lot and almost lost an eye when the nut ricocheted off of the wall directly at my face. But, I managed to crack it open finally – only to find that the nut inside was shriveled with old age and mould.
My work, my effort and all my hopes had gone to nothing.
As I stared at this nut, I realized that it was a little bit of a reflection of my life. That this treasure that I had expected work to be turned out to be some what of a let down.
And, then – quite suddenly, I realized that I had to deal with it.
That moping about my job, and moping about my boss and the unreasonable demands on my time and life would bring me nowhere, only bringing me more unhappiness – most of my own making.
As I stood with the wisened nut in my hand, I realized that I had two choices. One, I could throw away the macadamia nut in disappointment and never try to open another one again, or I can actually go out – find another and set about the process again. Yes, it might be rotten on the inside as well, but then at least I tried.
You see, when I started this current job of mine, I was as ill equipped to deal with it as I had been this afternoon to open that nut. But, I dealt with it. I learned. I grew in myself and I succeeded.
Today another representative from a sister company send an email to our sales department, complimenting me on my excellent progress in the one region of our country. Their sales of our products there have almost doubled since I started going there.
And – in that email, I suddenly had proof.
It was send to my boss and he had to send me an email, congratulating me on my success.
Satisfaction in three words and – the sentence that I needed.
“Well done.”
Strangely enough, that was all that I needed. I needed to be acknowledged and told that I’m doing a good job.
Silly? Yes. Human? Absolutely.
So, I’m not disillusioned about my future at the company – I know that it will only be a matter of time when I have another day like I had yesterday. BUT – I can hold on for a little longer. I need this job to find another, and to find another, I need to be good at what I do here.
And, good – I will be.