The Power of Networking

           Last week, opportunity start knocking on my door. I started the week very content at my job working with Dining Services. But in less than 24 hours, I had two different friends tell me about great career-advancing job opportunities in their organizations. They were both sweet opportunities that would further my career, increase my income, and potentially decrease the number of hours I was working, all while providing a job that would be more fun that what I was currently doing. I was flattered by the offers and applied to both, obtaining the first one.

The really incredible thing though, was how absolutely under-qualified I felt for both jobs. I think had I seen a job posting for either job, I probably would have passed them by and assumed that there was no way the employers would hire me. Having an inside contact to pass my resume and recommend me to the supervisor made all the difference. I think that my contact’s name was brought up no less than 50 times in my interview for the job that I eventually obtained—it was obvious that his influence made a huge difference in my application process.

While I obviously understood the theory of networking before this experience, I had never seen it so dramatic in my own life. It was incredible how many doors opened up for me because of my contacts. My takeaway from this experience is two-fold. First, I definitely want to do a better job of expanding my circle of contacts. But just as important to me is the new understanding of how much of a help I can be for others. I want to do a lot better of job of giving opportunities to others, in a kind of “pay it forward” way to return the favor that I was given. I’m determined to find ways to open doors for others and help them achieve their dreams, because I’ve seen firsthand how beneficial the help of another can be. 

The Recharge

            This week I learned the importance of recharging physically and spiritually. I have been trying to live a very active lifestyle. One of my least favorite things to do is to be in my apartment and consequently, I find every excuse to be out and about, doing things. I even came up with a way to track the way I was spending my time, and I’ve been working hard to minimize the time I spend doing non-productive things.

            I’ve been working especially hard in an effort to get ahead on my life. One day I was walking out of class when I was hit by a solid wall of fatigue. I decided to use my class break to take a twenty-minute nap and have a really meaningful scripture study. When I did, I was so much happier and much more effective for the rest of the day. I still checked off as many things on my to-do list as I had planned, but I felt happier and much more energetic the rest of the day.

            From this experience I’ve learned that it’s not only what you’re doing that is important, but how you do it also really counts. It’s so important to make sure that we are in our top forms, because then we can be more productive and efficient. I’m resolved to remember to watch my own energy levels and make sure that I’m always rested and spiritually ready to go so that I can always perform at my best.

Expectations on Perfection

While it may not be the most original idea to post on some kind of social media outlet about the LDS General Conference, I’m going to continue the trend today. I feel that this week I learned a pretty profound lesson about life that deserves to be shared.

                My lesson came as President Uchtdorf spoke. He took the theme of his talk from the line in the Bible in which the Lord tells his apostles that one of them will betray Him. They ask the question: “Lord, is it I?” President Uchtdorf then crafted a very inspired message about looking inwards for blame, rather than pointing fingers around us.

                This bothered me a little. While the cleanliness level in my room attests to the fact that I am no perfectionist, I constantly struggle because I set extremely high expectations for myself. I tend to think that I am a much better athlete, scholar, missionary, roommate, and person than I actually am, and I get frustrated when my performance never turns out as well as I anticipated. After 21 years of periodically feeling like I’ve never achieved my potential, I occasionally wonder if my expectations are too high for myself—am I justified in thinking that I really can be that good?

                Then President Uchtdorf said something that I loved. He said that if we are blind to our mistakes, we are also blind to our divine potential. Conversely, if we keep our sights on the unlimited potential that has been promised to us, then we should be seeing our weaknesses. To me, this means that my thoughts are justified. If we understand the true extent of what is possible for us to achieve, then we ought to be discontent with mediocrity. When we see what we can become, then we should not be complacent with where we are; we ought to continue rising and climbing and becoming better and better on a daily basis.

                Now I’m not advocating for perfectionism—that can end up with a lot of broken hopes and can often do more harm than good—but I am advocating for all of us to continue on our individual journey to become better. The heights of complete self-mastery might not be summited today or tomorrow, but we are doing something wrong if we are not walking uphill.  Every day ought to be a new step for us in the right direction. Inevitably, we will slip and fall, but that’s okay as long as we continue to keep making another attempt. I’m determined to continue to climb upward and search for more within myself as I try to become the man I imagine that I can be, because I have an idea of what perfection is, and that perfection eventually is attainable. 

   

It's all in the Details

                I am currently an employee of BYU Dining Services. The other day at work I was assigned to go visit one of our store’s suppliers to pick up some food. As I was walking out of the door, one of the sub-supervisors in my department asked me to check up on the status of two croissants that we were supposed to have received earlier, and bring those croissants back if they were finished. I nodded, figuring that the suppliers would know what she was talking about, and headed over.

                Upon arriving at the supplier’s work area, I inquired into the croissants. I was directed to the head of department, who appeared rather over-worked and stressed. He glared at me and asked me what I was looking for. I replied that I was looking for two croissants for my department, expecting that he would know exactly what I was talking about. He didn’t. He got closer in my face and very loudly informed me that our supplier sells six types of croissants, and asked what type I was requesting. I had heard nothing about the croissants that day, and could only whisper out that I honestly didn’t have any clue. He then announced that I was no use to him, because without knowing which type of croissant I needed, he couldn’t help me. He pivoted and strode off to the far weightier matters of the BYU Dining Service than some minimum-wage student employee.

               As I walked away, I thought about how badly that communication had failed. I had assumed that he would know the details of what was going on with the croissants, and when that assumption backfired, I found myself in the embarrassing and humbling situation of having to admit ignorance. It was an interesting application to what we’ve been discussing in my MCOMM class, and it taught me that it is really important to know one’s audience. Making assumptions is risky, and it is far better to gather all of the details and present them in a way that cannot be misunderstood, rather than only gather and present a fraction of the necessary information and hope that another party can understand. Misunderstanding and frustration is the result when we only present a part of the whole. After this experience, I’m determined to do a better job of really trying to understand all of the facts before I leap to trying to communicate to others.