When I was back in Alberta last week I got to work with a very good friend once more. Although we don’t often get to work together these days, each time it happens we simply pick up where we left off the last time. I remember well when we first met.
Our team was building an adventure golf in the center of West Edmonton Mall. We were separated from the public only by a low glass railing. As we worked I heard one of my crew call my name. I looked up and saw a young lady at the rail. My employee beckoned me over. I introduced myself to Wendy and her husband Cory who were in the mall to buy furniture for the new house they had just completed. Wendy told me that she wanted to work for me. There was a sparkle in her eye, a confidence in her which instantly appealed to me. She was drawn to the magic we were creating and wanted to work with our team. I could tell she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
It made me smile for we received many requests on a daily basis for jobs on our worksite... but Wendy was different from most who applied. Wendy did not just want a job, she didn’t ask what we paid... she wanted to help create the magic.
I remember asking her two questions... first I asked her to look around our worksite carefully. Team members were welding, doing carpentry, mixing cement, digging with shovels, cutting steel, sculpting concrete, painting and many other difficult and physical tasks. I asked her if she saw anything she couldn’t do. To my surprise Wendy replied that she could do EVERYTHING she saw.
I then asked her what her experience was. She again surprised me by replying that although she had experience with many tools she hadn’t done much of what she saw... BUT she could learn any task in a hurry if I gave her the chance.
I hired Wendy on the spot. I knew I had a winner!
Wendy went on to prove what she said was true. There was nothing she couldn’t handle. She threw herself at every task I gave her, and learned quickly. Although much smaller and not nearly as strong as most members of my crew, Wendy was full of heart and outperformed most who had been there far longer. She learned to paint, weld, sculpt, trowel cement, and a hundred other things over the next years. True to her word there was nothing she couldn’t do.
I’ve often wondered what makes Wendy so different than many people I’ve known through the years...
While Wendy is certainly very talented, I know many others with far more talent who have not achieved a fraction of what she has. Although not burly or strong, few can outwork her. Wendy will never stop learning, nor give up on her goals, no matter how difficult or daunting. The difference with Wendy is that she believes. She believes that anything is possible. She then sets about the task of making it so. She is eager to learn, to find out how to do things and how to do them the best way possible. No matter how long these goals may take she is willing to wait, although not patiently. Wendy believes in herself. She is full of confidence and that will take her far. Wendy is full of passion.
I know many people like Wendy. I surround myself with them. They help me with my projects. They are my friends. These are the ones I seek - for they believe. They believe in themselves and their abilities. They are wiling to invest the time to learn the things they need to accomplish the goals they set.
These people also believe the very best in those that surround them. They expect the best from them. They do their best to support and assist them. They are seldom disappointed.
With the help of my friends I will never stop believing.
-grampa dan