This week was a week of nerves and tension headaches as I had my first experience on the phones taking customer calls. My new work role will have me on the phones for the entire shift when I work from home. Being on the phone talking to a customer doesn’t freak me out. In fact, if you are that person that prefers to text message instead of call, I’m the opposite. I prefer to call because I can get straight to the point and get an immediate answer. Years’ of experience in my 20’s doing telemarketing calls and talking to builders has built my confidence over time. So taking and making phone calls is something I enjoy. What made me nervous though, was navigating a computer program I’m still trying to get my head around while having a customer on the phone. I didn’t want to stuff them around or create a policy that wasn’t right for them.
Wednesday was D-day (or phone day) and I was looking forward to getting my first call over and done with so I wouldn’t be so nervous. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get onto the phones because of a technical glitch. So I got to listen in on one of my colleague’s calls who did an amazing job. I really wanted to be on the phone though to get over my initial fear of the unknown. Thankfully, I got to take my first calls on Thursday and it wasn’t as scary as I had thought. What scared me more was realizing just how many drive a new car home before they insure it!
Next week, I will be learning about home and contents insurance and this is something I’m very interested in knowing. Especially when it comes to plumbing and those that DIY instead of using a licensed plumber. This is really one of the reasons I applied for this job. It will be the stepping stone to where I’d like to use my trade experience to assess property claims.
Anyway, during the week I shared my photo with my headset on and I had a plumber comment on my post saying ‘I thought you were a plumber?’
Sometimes we can walk into someone’s life and not understand the decisions they make or why they are doing what they are doing. But the best way to understand is to ask questions without judgement because I don’t need permission from others to change and neither do you.
Since having Phoebe, I have been living in a haze of the unknown. I haven’t known what to do in relation to my trade since closing our family business. But I’ve kept the blog running because I enjoy it and it led me to get work writing articles for a number of online sites. Unfortunately, the poor pay conditions led me to reconsider my decision of making writing a full time career for myself.
It’s okay to try things and realise they aren’t for you. It’s also okay to stop and find something new.
There may be plumbers that read this blog and hate going to work every day. If you hate your work, make a change and find something you will enjoy doing.
Don’t get in a rut or a mindset that says ‘this is just how it is.’ It doesn’t have to be. If running a business is stressful, go back to being employed. Use your trade to find work elsewhere that you enjoy.
If you’re a mum and work is sabotaging peace in your family life, find a different job that will allow you to spend more time at home.
The change doesn’t need to be abrupt and it won’t be. There will be steps to take to make the change. You can’t just stop a business or quit a job if you rely on that income to live. But change starts with a decision and once that decision is made, you become highly curious and more aware of new opportunities.
Prayer has been a huge part of my journey (not just by myself, but by family and friends who have known my unease) and I’ve been quite specific with my prayers to know how to discern what is for me and what is not.
During my crazy season of change as a mum, I kept blogging and writing for various companies and news sites. Some companies I will never write for again. But you don’t know what you don’t know. It takes time and life experience to realise when and how to change.
Living a full life is embracing new experiences and new thinking. I think we can fall into the habit of sticking with a bad job and hoping it will get better.
But sometimes it won’t and the conditions get worse. If history repeats itself, it’s time to move on because that’s a sign it won’t get better.
I might not be on the tools as a plumber right now, but I know I’m where I’m meant to be. I don’t look outwards for permission to change my direction, I look upwards and that’s really how all of us ought to be.
