Change a Word, Change Your Life
By Lisa Goodwin
Do you ever feel that your life is filled with things you have to do? Does it ever feel like it is just one thing after another? I think most of us have these feelings and it can really make our life more of a burden than a wonderful journey.
There was a time in my life I was living just like that. I was married, raising two daughters and trying my best to stay on top of things. The girls were very active. One in drama… I know what you're thinking, all high school girls are in drama, but no, I mean a real drama club and she was also on the volleyball team, cheer team, and played soccer. The other was an all star athlete in several sports from soccer to track and field. There was a lot of coming and going between the four of us. I struggled keeping the house organized, keeping everyone fed, but the hardest part was keeping up with the laundry! I’m not kidding, it was brutal. It seemed like that pile of clothes was always up to the ceiling no matter how much I tried. I seriously pondered if you died and went to hell, was it eternal laundry? It kept me motivated to be a good person! Oh and did I mention that in my spare time I owned and operated three swimwear stores in three major malls! Yes you heard me. Well I had a partner who happened to be my sister. We really made a great team. Linda was very organized, sharp, and an absolute joy to be around. Her strengths were my weaknesses and vice versa. It was perfect! Well, almost. There was just one problem, neither one of us could fire anyone. No really, it was a problem. So we knew that we must be very careful who we hired since they would most likely be with us for the rest of our lives! Therefore I always did the hiring.
Well, this one time we were short handed, and everyone was overworked and tired. There was a woman who called about the sales job and we scheduled an appointment for her to interview with me the next day.
I cannot remember what came up, but I could not be there. Rather than reschedule, I allowed my manager Rose to do the interview. Please understand I NEVER let her do this before even though she was very capable and had been with us a year. That night a very excited Rose called “Lisa, I hired this woman Trudy, she is awesome and she will start tomorrow!” "Ok great, I open tomorrow, I’ll start her training." I will never forget when I got to the store the next morning, there waiting for me was a very frail woman, I guessed to be in her mid 50’s. Very pale skin with dark curly hair and wearing a light sweater, buttoned only at the top. A sweet smile and a warm hello. "Hi I am Trudy, thank you so much for this opportunity, I am so excited." I smiled a half smile back thinking she seemed really nice, but not at all the image I had in mind for a dynamic bubbly sales girl. Ok I thought, there is a reason Rose hired her and we got started with training. It wasn’t long before I knew Rosemarie made a mistake. Trudy was not a fit and was having a lot of difficulty with even the simplest tasks, but she was REALLY nice!! Oh boy, this isn’t good. The next day was no better. Later in the afternoon the store was quiet, no customers at all, so we sat down in front of the dressing rooms. We had these two fancy “man” chairs. Every smart retail owner has them. Keeps the guys somewhat patient while the women shop.
Anyway, Trudy started sharing some personal history about her family. She talked about when her son Adam, was sixteen he was an all star athlete. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as she talked about him. Right away we had something in common. My youngest, also a star athlete and 16! She bragged about all the sports he played, but how there was always a never ending pile of laundry! I could hardly believe my ears…..Me too! I know exactly what you mean. Oh she said, no way, my pile hit the ceiling! I could hardly believe it. Then we talked about the scary feeling when your child first learns to drive and also how excited they are. The more she spoke, the more it sounded like she was talking about her son in the past tense. I figured her son was just older now but as she continued her story the light in her eyes got dim. Trudy continued, one night Adam yelled to me across the house, “Hey Mom, I’m going to the store, be back in 10. Okay, I yelled back." The tears started to roll down her face and mine. I never heard his voice again. He was killed that night less than 5 miles from our home. He had a terrible car accident.
"He was my world," she said, “it’s so weird, I realized shortly after he died that I never had to do his laundry, I got to." As the tears streamed down my face, I knew I would never be the same again. I went home that night and I swear you never saw a happier woman doing laundry. Now here is what is so fascinating, Trudy called the next day and quit. She thanked me so much for my kindness, but regretted that the job just wasn’t a fit for her. I never saw her again. I sometimes wonder if she was an angel sent to me. I never had to do laundry again. For that matter, I never had to do anything again, I GET to!
Change your “have to” to “Get to”
It will change your life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Goodwin is a founder and facilitator at Global Holistic Coaching. She is a yoga instructor, life and wellness coach, with many years of experience teaching and facilitating worldwide retreats. She loves spending time with her family and her cat Zen, traveling, walking the red rock trails in her backyard and spoiling her grandkids. She has developed the Foundation Course and the Self Hypnosis Training, which are both transformational and absolutely life changing. To learn more visit www.Lisagoodwin.net
