***
After the lunch rush, the restaurant died down completely. It was strange how it could go from a metropolis to a ghost town in less than an hour. There were a few people still dining, but I had completed all of my duties and there was nothing left for me to do.
“So, Kim, how about that training?”
“Have you cleared and set all the tables… wait, I shouldn’t have to ask you that, I already know the answer. Come on, let’s get you trained on the Squirrel.”
“The layout of the restaurant is programmed into the computer. So just click on your table and select how many in your party. Typically, you’re going to order the drinks first, so click the ‘Drinks’ tab and all of our drinks come up. Over here is where you can customize your orders or add notes for the bartenders, like ‘easy ice’, ‘double shot of something’, and so on. You can do the same for the entrées as well.”
After about thirty minutes on the basic computer system, I felt I had a good grasp of how it worked. Everything was very logical and straightforward.
“Wow, you learn fast,” Kim said.
“I guess you could say I’m really motivated.”
“Good, how about I start you off with a few tables tonight?”
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you tonight.”
After my training, I decided to meet Ashley at her work. I walked passed Mike’s and glanced inside. I saw Jay standing around with Jon and Marcy. Nobody was doing anything. He was not a leader; he had no business being in that role. He should have taken my advice and gotten rid of those people, but instead, he got rid of me. Maybe my leadership threatened him. I was a leader being led by a follower. What a sad realization.
“Hey, babe,” I said.
“Hey, hon. What are you doing here?”
“Just wanted to see you.”
“Really?”
“What time are you off?”
“I’m off at 3:00.”
“Do you want to hang out?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, I’m going to walk around the mall for a bit and I’ll come back in a half hour. You should be off by then right?”
“It all depends on how fast my last table settles their bill.”
I wandered aimlessly through the mall, poking my head into a few stores. I had no intentions of buying anything. In fact, I could not afford to buy anything even if I wanted to.
When I came up to the end of the strip, I was within fifty feet of Athletic Surplus. I was trying to be inconspicuous so I hid behind the same large plant that shielded me from view the first time I’d come here. From my vantage point, I could look into the entire store without the risk of being detected. They were like fish in a bowl, completely oblivious to what was going on outside their little athletic world. There was a bunch of new people working there. I wasn’t too sure if the other people were let go or they just got sick of Isaac and quit. A moment later, Isaac slithered out from the back room like the snake that he was. The very sight of him made my blood boil, yet I could not look away.
“Hey, there you are,” Ashley said, completely startling me. “What are you doing?”
“Who? Me? Oh, nothing, I was just… waiting”
“Did I catch you in a moment?”
“Uhh…”
“It seems like you’re hiding behind this big plant. What are you looking at?” she asked as she looked across the way at the Athletic Surplus. “Come on, it’s their loss.”
“Sorry for not showing up, I lost track of time.”
“No worries, this mall isn’t that big and I sort of had an idea of where to look for you. So what’s new?”
“Lots, actually. I was fired today,” I said with a slight smirk on my face.
“You were fired? From where, and why?”
“From Mike’s, but it wasn’t my fault.”
“How is it that you keep getting fired?”
“I don’t keep getting fired, I quit Athletic Surplus, remember? Besides, that wasn’t my fault either and you know it.”
“Trevor, I’m going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer. What if it has always been your fault?”
I paused for a moment of honest reflection. “You know what, at the end of the day, I can say I worked really hard and did my best.”
“Maybe that’s your problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe next time you should try doing what I do.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“Show up on time, do a reasonably good job, and don’t rock the boat.”
“That sounds like a recipe for a mediocre life. I don’t want a mediocre life. I don’t want to be an average Joe. I want to do something special in this lifetime, something that matters and makes a difference.”
“Hey, that’s a noble ambition, but while on your path to greatness, you will have to work for other people. My formula may not make me rich, but it will also not make me poor either. I have never been fired from a job, whereas you’ve been demoted, messed with, yelled at, and now you’ve been fired. I’m just saying…”
“You make some good points, but what I’m doing can’t be all bad. I was promoted today at Ray’s – I’m a server now. My first shift is tonight.”
“That’s great, congratulations. Welcome to the server’s club!”
“So, do you want to hear my plan?” I asked.
“Okay, what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to be a server… while I go back to school.”
“You’re going back to school, what made you decide that?”
“I’m just tired of being jerked around. I’ve worked retail and although I like sales, there’s no future in it. I don’t want to be selling shoes in the mall when I’m forty.”
“Okay, so what are you going to school for?”
“I want to be a lawyer.”
“Yeah, I could see that. I think you’d make a good lawyer.”
“I got a taste of court from the whole Darrell situation and I liked it, as weird as that sounds. Plus, it has a lot of the elements that I would want in a career – you can be your own boss, nobody messes with you, you can make lots of money, garner respect...”
“So do you know what school you’re going to apply to?”
“No, I have to look into all that. I also need to get a computer and a desk.”
“How are you going to afford a computer? And school?”
“I don’t know, I’ll probably have to take out a student loan, maybe get a better job.”
C H A P T E R
T H I R T Y - O N E
I decided to take a different approach to finding a job this time. Instead of handing out résumés to all the shops in the mall, I applied online for some office jobs. I picked a bunch of companies I wanted to work for and submitted my résumé to them.
A few weeks went by and I did not have one single call back, so I changed my approach again. This time, I changed my résumé to make it look more professional. I then put on my suit and applied to a lot of the businesses in person. On my way home, I stopped by the bank to make a withdrawal. I entered the bank and looked around. It seemed like a really professional environment, people in suits talking about their business and their finances. It never occurred to me to work at a bank, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I looked in my folder and had one résumé left.
I walked up to the customer service desk and asked to speak to the manager.
“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked.
“No, I don’t. I just wanted to speak with the manager about any employment opportunities that are available.”
“If you give me your résumé, I’ll make sure he gets it.”
I gave the receptionist my résumé and went home.
I waited a week before I started calling places back. I felt like I had nothing to lose, so I called the manager at the National Group Bank every day and left him a message on his answering machine.
‘Hi this is Trevor Morrison calling. I dropped off my résumé last week and was just wondering if you’ve had a chance to review it. I’m really interested in pursuing a career with your branch. Please give me a call so I can further introduce myself.’
A week’s worth of those messages filled the bank manager’s voicemail, but there was still no word from him. I decided to put my suit on and go pay the manager a visit.
“May I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes, my name is Trevor Morrison; I have a two o’clock appointment with Derek Jones. Can you please let him know I’m here?”
“Yes, certainly Mr. Morrison, please take a seat.”
“Thank you.”
I took a deep breath and sat down outside the branch manager’s office – so far, so good. I had made it passed the first line of defense. Now all I needed to do was to turn on some charm and convince the branch manager his business would fail without me.
I glanced down at my phone every few minutes. The anticipation was killing me. I had been waiting for over fifteen minutes. Occasionally, the receptionist would look over at me. I just looked back at her and smiled. It was obvious the manager was in no hurry to see me, but I continued to wait.
After a few more minutes, his door opened and he walked out. He noticed me sitting in one of the leather chairs outside of his office, but he continued to walk pass me. He said something to one of the financial advisors, then headed back to his office.
This was it; it was my time to shine. “Good afternoon Mr. Jones, may I have a moment of your time?”
“Certainly,” he said reluctantly with a fake smile. “Please come in and have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
“So what brings you into my office today?”
“Well, sir, I’m interested in working for you and I wanted to meet with you in person to discuss a possible employment opportunity.”
“Okay, do you have your résumé with you?”
“Yes, I do. Here you go,” I handed him another copy of my résumé.
He took a moment to review it. “So what did you have in mind?” he asked.
“I want to start off as a teller, but I would eventually like to work my way up to become a financial advisor one day.”
“So you’re interested in pursuing a career in finance?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s excellent. I think we might have something for you. Let me hang on to your résumé and I will have Lizzie give you a call later this week to discuss what we have available.”
“Thank you so much for your time today, it really means a lot to me.”
“It was my pleasure.”
It took a little bit longer than I had expected, but my persistence paid off. I had my foot in the door. Where others saw a dead end, I saw an obstacle and figured out a way around it.
Lizzie called a week later to discuss the position. After a few minutes of talking, I had talked my way into a job with the largest bank in Canada.
“So what will the schedule be like?” I asked.
“We work on a forty hour work week, with a half an hour paid lunch break. The shifts are Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30, and we’re closed on the weekends.”
“Oh, okay, that sounds good. Do you offer any part-time employment at all?”
“No, unfortunately not, we only have full-time shifts available.”
“That’s too bad. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I will be attending classes in the fall. I won’t be able to work during the day.”
“We do have a credit card division. It’s still customer service, but it’s in an office environment, so you wouldn’t be dealing with customers directly.”
“An office environment,” I repeated with a smile. “That sounds perfect.”
“I know they offer part-time schedules and cater to a lot of students.”
“That would be great.”
“I’ll forward your résumé onto that department and will have someone give you a call.”
“Thank you so much, Lizzie. I really appreciate it.”
I figured out life was all about creating opportunities for myself. Rarely are things handed to people. I figured if you’re not where you want to be in life, it’s because you don’t want it bad enough, plain and simple. A little persistence, a clean shave, and a smile can do wonders for a person. I now had my office job, which paid me much more than being a server.
I was all set to go back to school in the Fall. I was excited, but a little nervous. My plan was about to be realized. I was about to take the first step in my journey to become one of the most successful lawyers in the country.
C H A P T E R
T H I R T Y - T W O
The next four years of school were incredibly challenging. Taking four classes per semester and two courses in the summer proved to be too much for me. I was burnt out. There wasn’t enough time in the day to take on that kind of course load, especially when I was working thirty hours per week at the National Group Bank call centre.
I had never lasted so long at a job before this one. I had learned the hard way that the nail that sticks out gets hammered first. So, instead of trying to rearrange the entire business model of the company I worked for, I took Ashley’s advice – I kept my mouth shut and did what was asked of me. It seemed strange to me that a company was not interested in hearing about ideas from their employees, especially if those ideas would be beneficial to them. After all, a good idea is a good idea regardless of where it comes from. I vowed if I ever have my own company, I would be sure to foster a culture where even the guy sweeping the floor can submit his idea.
I struggled to pay my bills, but working at the bank helped out a lot. Maybe that was why I stuck around so long. I made more money working part-time than I did working full-time at the retail shops and restaurants I worked for in the past.
I worked nights, weekends, and picked up the odd overtime shift here and there. I was able to make enough to cover all my expenses, including paying back Darrell’s debt. I still had not collected a cent from him. I gave up searching for him when it was obvious he did not want to be found. I heard from a mutual friend he had left the country. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a little rodent like Darrell to scurry off into some far corner of the world to avoid his responsibilities.
My schedule was packed. Every minute of every day was assigned towards doing something. I didn’t know the meaning of rest, or having a day off. During the week I had a routine – wake up at 6:00 a.m., run for thirty minutes, then workout for forty-five minutes. After that, I would have a protein shake, a large breakfast, shower, and then go to school. Some mornings I had no choice but to skip my workout routine. It was the only expendable thing in my day. Ironically, it was working out that allowed my body to keep up this pace. Even then, I was always exhausted. Any remaining time I had would be spent with Ashley.
Even getting to school was exhausting. I had to walk fifteen minutes to the Skytrain station, take the Skytrain three stops, and then get on the sea bus. The sea bus ride was thirty minutes across the water to North Vancouver. Once I got off the sea bus, I would get on another bus, ride another thirty minutes to the Phibbs Exchange bus terminal, where I transferred one more time to a bus that would take me the rest of the way to school. I did this same process in reverse to go back home. The moment I would get home, I had to quickly eat lunch, then get ready for work. I would work all night, come home, and make something to eat. It would be around midnight by the time I was done. Then, I would study until two or three in the morning. Some nights, I was just too tired to study, so I would go to bed and study on the way to school.
The bus rides were miserable too. It would be raining most mornings, so I would stand in the rain until the bus came, then try to fight my way on an already packed bus. I would have to squish in there with a hundred other dripping-wet students who were often sick. Being coughed on, sneezed on, and farted on was unavoidable.
Periodically, I would look out the window to see how close I was to the school. I would wipe the condensation from the window and catch a glimpse of some rich kid driving their Mercedes or Lexus. I couldn’t help but think of how lucky those kids were. They had the easy life. I bet they wouldn’t even last one day in my situation. They would probably never know what it was like to have to overcome hardship, not know where they were going to sleep that night, and they probably never had to go to bed on an empty stomach.
It’s ironic that the ones who lack adversity in their lives often go the farthest. This is not because they are more talented and things come effortlessly, it’s because there’s less resistance. The fortunate ones get the best grades not because they are brighter, but because they don’t have to work thirty hours per week and don’t have to waste two hours each day commuting on public transit. They have time to socialize and develop connections. They have time to volunteer and build their résumé. They have parents who know people in high places who will usher them into cushy jobs with high pay. They will eventually rise through the ranks, not because of their hard work, but through connections, impressive job titles, and glad-handing. These people eventually go on to run our banks and rule our countries, but they’re not necessarily the best people for the job.
The more I thought about it, the more depressed I got. The only thing I could do was to continue to work hard and hope for the right opportunity to come my way.
After four years of university, I was fully adjusted to the school life. My grades started off average, but I eventually learned what the professors were looking for. I wrote the LSAT and applied to all the law schools in the country. I received offers from a few of them, but I accepted only one offer from the University of Ontario School of Law. This was not my first choice, but it was the only half-decent school that accepted me. Graduating university and getting into law school was very gratifying. It was confirmation that I had bounced back after having some major setbacks along the way. Graduating from law school had been my primary goal for the past four years and in a few short months, it would be the first day toward achieving that goal. I was nervous about moving to a new city because I had no idea what to expect, but I was determined to make it, the way I had always done – through my hustle.
The Art of the Hustle Page 40