This morning I was listening to 50 Cent's "21 Questions" and in the chorus Nate Dogg sings:
Repeat:
On that morning, the day after my birthday, I recieved a phone call from my associate at a local staffing agency. She asked me how my job search was progressing and I told her "not so well, but I'm still looking." I honestly did not know what to expect from this call, but as it turns out, she offered me a temporary position as an administrative assistant at a local D.C. area non-profit that advocates for resources for the elderly and disabled. The position had a modest hourly wage attached; there were also a lot of emotions and mixed feelings attached as well.
First, I was excited about getting "off the bench" and "into the game." Keep in mind, that four months ago the economy was rough and companies were not hiring as much as they used to. Although I was excited about the prospect of a new opportunity, my ego came into play. For a brief moment, I thought about this: "I graduated from Princeton and now I'm about to take a job as an administrative assistant?" Repeat:
For a lot of people that can be a hard pill to swallow but my desire to do something far outweighed my ego. Although at the time I did not realize it, this experience will continue to reverberate for years to come (more on that in the next entry). I immediately accepted the position later that day and came into the office for the first time on Monday
On that first Monday, I was pumped and ready to begin my new position. Once again, I am thankful towards my Mom who gave me money to catch the bus and the Metro. Initially, I had a rough time locating the office, but I found it and was ready to go.
One of the first things that I was told to do by my supervisor was to make a name card so that people would know my name... so people know my name - what a nice guesture. Each time I encountered a new face, I introduced myself and they did the same in turn. I know that this sounds simple, but it was nice to interact and work with people once again instead of being at home alone. A lot of times we complain about our jobs or having to go to class, but it's a really special opportunity in that we have an opportunity to be around people, be/feel productive, and work as a team towards a common goal - how special is that? Very special indeed: being around people again and feeling appreciated is one of the things that has meant the most to me.
Another aspect about this position that I've appreciated is how it has worked to rebuild me once again. To be frank, 2011 was an emasculating year so to speak (I'm not going into the details here, but if you know me you're aware of the story). I am convinced working at this non-profit was the first step in rebuilding, an improved Reginald Galloway and my new foundation is one based upon hard work, humility, and respect. It goes like this: I'm always going to work hard, stay humble (but aim for the top), and have respect for myself, others, and what I do.
There is so much that this organization has done for me, for which I am grateful, but I'll just mention one more thing: the people here have encouraged me to once again dream big. I cannot emphasize enough how much the folks here at this non-profit have pushed me to once again have big goals - especially my African American co-workers. One story that definitely sticks out here is when one of my older co-workers, an African American lady, saw me pouring water for some guests who were in the office for a meeting. After I returned to my station, she said something that I'll never forget: "you're better than pouring water for some caucasian lady."
Wow.
Her words will always stick with me... and she's right. Sure her words triggered a certain historical image in my mind, but at that moment I was not thinking about the implications of an intelligent black male serving water for a group of white women; instead, I was thinking about everything else she had told me - to go back to school as soon as possible, to save up to buy a condo for myself, and how talented I was.
In fact, I feel as though just about everyone in my office has encouraged me to keep on going. At one point, it seemed as though every other person was asking me "so Reggie, what do you intend to do with that Princeton degree?" That question being posed to me day after day would lead me to think about a gameplan for the days and months to come. I'm happy to say that now, I'm executing that gameplan: it's call #DoOrDieMarch
There's a point I need to drive home here and I'll say this again and again: everyday is a new opportunity and your life can change for the better in just a single moment - take advantage of that.
"Girl, It's easy to love me now
Would you love me if I was down and out?
Would you still have love for me?"
Repeat:
I never thought that a 50 Cent song would be deep, but that question - "would you love me if I was down and out?" - is so deep, yet so simple. I actually thought a lot about these lyrics this morning and some of the other questions 50 asks in the song. Afterwards, I thought about the people in my life will support me no matter what; those folks are rare and special. The people I had in mind were my parents, my aunts and uncles, and friends like MR, AM, MF, NS, AF, MD, RB, JB, TR, and LZ who would text/Facebook/Tweet me encouraging messages on a regular basis. I remember that I felt "down and out" from mid-October until Wednesday, December 15th 2011.
"Girl, It's easy to love me now
Would you love me if I was down and out?
Would you still have love for me?"
On that morning, the day after my birthday, I recieved a phone call from my associate at a local staffing agency. She asked me how my job search was progressing and I told her "not so well, but I'm still looking." I honestly did not know what to expect from this call, but as it turns out, she offered me a temporary position as an administrative assistant at a local D.C. area non-profit that advocates for resources for the elderly and disabled. The position had a modest hourly wage attached; there were also a lot of emotions and mixed feelings attached as well.
First, I was excited about getting "off the bench" and "into the game." Keep in mind, that four months ago the economy was rough and companies were not hiring as much as they used to. Although I was excited about the prospect of a new opportunity, my ego came into play. For a brief moment, I thought about this: "I graduated from Princeton and now I'm about to take a job as an administrative assistant?" Repeat:
"I graduated from Princeton and now I'm about to take a job as an administrative assistant?"
For a lot of people that can be a hard pill to swallow but my desire to do something far outweighed my ego. Although at the time I did not realize it, this experience will continue to reverberate for years to come (more on that in the next entry). I immediately accepted the position later that day and came into the office for the first time on Monday
On that first Monday, I was pumped and ready to begin my new position. Once again, I am thankful towards my Mom who gave me money to catch the bus and the Metro. Initially, I had a rough time locating the office, but I found it and was ready to go.
One of the first things that I was told to do by my supervisor was to make a name card so that people would know my name... so people know my name - what a nice guesture. Each time I encountered a new face, I introduced myself and they did the same in turn. I know that this sounds simple, but it was nice to interact and work with people once again instead of being at home alone. A lot of times we complain about our jobs or having to go to class, but it's a really special opportunity in that we have an opportunity to be around people, be/feel productive, and work as a team towards a common goal - how special is that? Very special indeed: being around people again and feeling appreciated is one of the things that has meant the most to me.
Another aspect about this position that I've appreciated is how it has worked to rebuild me once again. To be frank, 2011 was an emasculating year so to speak (I'm not going into the details here, but if you know me you're aware of the story). I am convinced working at this non-profit was the first step in rebuilding, an improved Reginald Galloway and my new foundation is one based upon hard work, humility, and respect. It goes like this: I'm always going to work hard, stay humble (but aim for the top), and have respect for myself, others, and what I do.
There is so much that this organization has done for me, for which I am grateful, but I'll just mention one more thing: the people here have encouraged me to once again dream big. I cannot emphasize enough how much the folks here at this non-profit have pushed me to once again have big goals - especially my African American co-workers. One story that definitely sticks out here is when one of my older co-workers, an African American lady, saw me pouring water for some guests who were in the office for a meeting. After I returned to my station, she said something that I'll never forget: "you're better than pouring water for some caucasian lady."
Wow.
Her words will always stick with me... and she's right. Sure her words triggered a certain historical image in my mind, but at that moment I was not thinking about the implications of an intelligent black male serving water for a group of white women; instead, I was thinking about everything else she had told me - to go back to school as soon as possible, to save up to buy a condo for myself, and how talented I was.
In fact, I feel as though just about everyone in my office has encouraged me to keep on going. At one point, it seemed as though every other person was asking me "so Reggie, what do you intend to do with that Princeton degree?" That question being posed to me day after day would lead me to think about a gameplan for the days and months to come. I'm happy to say that now, I'm executing that gameplan: it's call #DoOrDieMarch
There's a point I need to drive home here and I'll say this again and again: everyday is a new opportunity and your life can change for the better in just a single moment - take advantage of that.
or what about that time u were walking and that lady that you work with told u that u were not bound to working for n4a, all you need is a plan and the sky is the limit, and then the sun came out :-)
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