Yeah, I know. I meant to title this after the Clint Eastwood film but as I went to correct it to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" I decided the way I typed it first is right. Because I'm looking for God/Good in a situation; and I've had plenty of Bad, and things could get Ugly.
For the past two years...as of this week, I've been in a job I loathe.
Not my pastorate--I love serving a tiny church, part time, that can't afford to pay me enough to live. I love those people.
Not my (unpaid) babysitting two days a week for my granddaughter so my son and daughter-in-law can go to work. That's my earthly salvation.
No, my work on the phones. Phones! I HATE phones.
See, when I was a naive pre-teen, I had a run in with a telephone stalker, who threatened to kill me and kill my family. To this day I get sick when I have to make telephone calls...but for the past two years, sitting at home waiting for calls to come in five days a week was the only way I could put food on the table and slow down the mortgage default process. I'm within a year and a few months of being able to get medicaid. Two years and change until social security. Just trying to hang on. Thankful that I had a job that had short-term disability when I was hospitalized twice last year, and real health insurance. And a company supportive of employees. Too supportive, sometimes--I could do without 90% of the "rah-rah" stuff. But that's me.
And did I mention it's sales? In the beginning it wasn't bad. I was selling products that would cost a slight spurge in a working person's income. They called me, and were excited about the product.
But the longer you last at the company, the more expensive products you cover. For the past year I've been selling products to fit the top 10%. Today I sold one product that cost more for two days than I make in 7 weeks....and there will be nothing left of it afterward. Think of a $1000 haircut or a $1000 spa treatment. Or a $10000 bet.
Primarily I deal with top executives, business owners, and professionals through their administrative or spouse or agent. Those people tend to be efficient AND rather pleasant. And---damn it, most of the executives are non-condescending if I talk with them.
Part of me hates that almost as much as the phones. These people are with JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs, and Pfizer, and FoxNews. I hate those companies. How DARE they have people working for them who make decisions that hurt my country and the people I care about, and then I have to be nice to them on the phone and they have the effrontery to generally be nice back! Bad companies and Bad people should stay bad! No temporary crossovers!
But...I got my last warning of "poor sales" today. I just don't sell enough very expensive products during my scheduled hours...which usually run until 11 PM at night. Not making quota is Bad, too. Within two weeks or one month, I'll be gone--and so will my insurance and income. I have a suspicion that my sales goal may be set high so they can get rid of me, since my medical costs and time off last year were expensive. BUT...sometime God pushes you out into the world. (At my age, I'm getting damned tired of being pushed.)
So--I come to my Kos family to ask for some ideas. I have to say that nothing makes me feel happier inside than the idea of NOT being on the phones. And nothing makes me feel panic like not being on the phones and not having anything to take its' place.
In the best of all personal worlds, I'd find something that let me work from home and set my own hours. I was a virtual office manager for a few years working from home, doing work as it came it. Loved that! And....I'm not a photographer, but was studied commercial art and have a good eye for putting slide shows together of other people's photos, with music...I've done them for a couple of weddings, graduations and yes, funerals.
But I'm not a salesperson and hate phones...remember? So it's only been one now and then, by word or mouth. So anyone out there have business ideas for an old lady with a good brain and bad teeth who is a night owl and introvert by nature, but can function just fine among real people, thanks?
If you have a brainstorm--for me or the many others who are in much of the same boat, give it up--before things get Ugly! (You thought I'd totally lost the theme, now didn't you?)