By Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul, and John Christensen
A Summary by Michael Alberico
Mary Jane and Dan had moved their family to Seattle, do to Dan’s new job which he loved and would come home every night and just talk about it. Mary Jane had taken a managerial position at First Guarantee. However, less than a year later tragedy struck. Dan died suddenly from a burst aneurysm.
FIRST GUARANTEE FINANCIAL
Mary Jane was known for her great work ethic. She was a good manager who listened carefully to her staff. Her department at First Guarantee, a large financial institution where she worked, was known for its high quality of work. People could count on her department …show more content…
There was a carnival atmosphere in the air. People were laughing and fish guys yelling out at the crowd. Even fish flying through the air. The guys would call out the orders to each other and then repeat the calls “One salmon flying away to Minnesota” one person called and the rest chorused. Then one of the fish guys noticed her and asked what was wrong? She didn't mean to tell him but the whole story about the third floor and her situation just came out. To her surprise Lonnie listened very attentively. He asked her how she liked the fish market. “I love it, so much energy and enthusiasm”, she replied. Lonnie explained that it hadn't always been like that, in fact, a few years ago they had their own toxic energy dump, but now he just loves working there and is spoiled for life. Lonnie asked if she would like to know how they turned things around. Mary Jane was unsure if a fishmonger could help her with her problem, but agreed to return the next day.
RETURN VISIT
When Mary Jane returned Lonnie took her aside and explained some of the tedious tasks that a fishmonger does during the day. They discussed how any job can be boring to the person doing it, he said. Some of his customers travel all over the world for their job, which sounded exciting to Lonnie, but the customers say it gets pretty boring very fast. Just the same any job can be done with energy and enthusiasm. Here, Mary Jane learned her first lesson: There is always a choice about the way you do your work, even if there is no choice about the work itself. We can choose the attitude we bring to our work.
THE COURAGE TO