Roller Rink

A few weeks ago I was invited to go to the roller rink.  A man in our church was gathering some people there for a surprise birthday party for his wife.  I have not been on roller skates for many years but I was game.  It was nice to be included in this gathering.  Often times, I just need to be asked to do something and I am willing.

It must have been over 5 years since I laced up skates.  I went with the traditional variety, not the roller blades.

Once out on the rink, it all came back to me.  The music was fun and the physical exertion got me going.

There were a lot of young kids there with their parents.  I felt bad that a number of them were struggling to keep any forward momentum and were falling down a lot.  Even more difficult was to see that kid who went to the side and decided not to keep trying.

We as a culture are so against failing.  If we can't do it right away, we count it as a fail.  We want to be dignified and together.  Let me say this:  when at a roller rink, you can't keep your dignity.  You must try and it will take some physical effort to keep going.  We are all making slips and adjustments.  Enjoy the music.  Be happy and smile.

All thumbs in the kitchen

This weekend I was listening to a podcast where the host mentioned that he couldn't boil water.  However his wife was a chef when it came to meal preparation.  It was yet another area that I identified with him.

I can make a sandwich, put the coffee on, and make a salad.  I have not been one who can put together a dish.  There are too many details and ingredients.  The recipe calls for things I have never heard of and then there is the whole measuring challenge.  I have noticed that when it comes to food, I like to eat it, but I get sleepy when it comes to assembling a dinner.

My contribution in the kitchen is clean-up and putting things away.  Although I don't relish getting my hands into the sink and scrubbing used dishes and utensils, I do it out of a sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute.

Tell me about yourself

Yesterday, I was at a career fair.  When talking to company reps, it is helpful to have a short introduction speech.  Here is what I had to say when asked, "Tell me about yourself".

Hello, my name is Keith Kemp.  My target area for my job search is Appleton and Fox Cities.  I would like to work with a small to medium sized, privately owned company, which has $10-50 million in sales.

The jobs that I am exploring are Business Manager, Contract Management, and Technical Services.  I am administrative in nature and have a Bachelors in Business Administration.  I like to process my work efficiently and keep everything up-to-date.  My preference is to work behind the scenes and keep out of the spot light.  I am comfortable on the computer but also need to move around some and be active.  I enjoy meeting new people, learning new things, and travel.  I also like to have a certain amount of routine and predictability so I can improve incrementally.  

In the past, I worked as an Inside Sales Rep selling Cisco hardware and services.  I was at CDW for a short time and Convergys for 6.5 years.  CDW was a Chicago based company and I quickly realized that they weren’t my people.  While at Convergys, I was Inside Service Sales Representative of the year.  There were about 100 people on the program at the time and I won the award by consistently hitting my numbers.  Convergys was a good experience but I don’t want to go back to a call center environment.  Soft sales would be acceptable as I like the opportunity to earn incentives.  

I have organizational skills, computer skills, problem solving skills, creative thinking, and effective communication as well as interpersonal skills.  I am available immediately.

Traveling to Tennessee vs. Traveling Home

This past weekend I was in Brentwood Tennessee for the Quitter Conference.  My travels on the way down were markably different than my travels on the way home.

When I was getting prepared for the trip, I put into Google Maps my location and where I was headed.  For options, I selected "no tolls".  It had me going through Chicago on a straight south direction.  Some of the roads were not interstate but I was okay with that.  I wrote out my directions onto a piece of paper and brought it along.  For the first few hours of the trip, I knew where I was going and didn't consult my scribbles.

When I went through Chicago, I went onto highway 41 and I was surprised at how bumpy the road was.  There were also traffic lights on this route.  Eventually I got up on interstate 90 and 94 but even at 7:30 PM on a Thursday night, there was a traffic jam in downtown Chicago.  I could not believe the number of people on the roads at that hour.

As I went further on my trip, I stubbornly stayed to my written plan from Google Maps.  I remember getting lost at least three times where I had to double back and take a different direction to get back on track.  One time, I made a mistake and didn't take the left like I had written and ended up on some very narrow, very bumpy farm roads.  This was on the Illinois and Indiana boarder.  I really felt like I was wasting time.  I tried to breath and relax and recalculated my estimated time that I would arrive.

Getting to Brentwood was probably 13 hours.  But getting home was less as I didn't consult my notes and went interstate really most of the way.  It can also be scenic with needed rest stops.  When you are driving by yourself, without a navigator, it is also probably the safest.

I should have used the GPS on this trip for both ways as it would have saved me time and aggravation.  Google Maps wasn't wrong in the directions they gave me.  Their directions just involved so many smaller highways with numbers and places I wasn't familiar with that it wasn't the best choice.

Quitter Conference

This last weekend I went to Jon Acuff's Quitter Conference in Brentwood Tennessee.  Jon is an excellent communicator.  He speaks well, naturally, and with relevence and humor.  I never sensed that he lost his place or felt uncomfortable.  As an audience member, I trusted Jon's message and believed what he had to say.  He gave inspiration by relating stories of his own or from other people who are going through the process of discovering their dream.  He also gave practical advise by giving step by step ways to deal with things like fears. 

There ended up being more to this conference than I first thought.  I was expecting speakers and some opportunity to network.  The event unexpectedly provided a free watch, a free t-shirt, a band on Friday night, but also more content then I expected.

Attending the event required a long drive for me.  I was on the road 12 hours to get there.  There were the usual costs of gas, hotel, and food.  It was also time away from home and my normal routine.  Yet, it was worth it.  I would recommend Jon Acuff to anyone no matter what stage of life you are in at the moment.  He has excellent material and I consider him a rising star.  We will be hearing more of Mr. Acuff in the years ahead.  Become a fan while he is still early in his career.