good things

Two weekends ago my wife and I spent the weekend in San Antonio visiting her parents. On Saturday morning her father and I had the chance to visit for a while. I have recently made a considerable career change, moving from a people-helping industry back to sales. I have found the transition difficult at times.

I enjoy helping people. When it was my job to help people, I felt very satisfied, not only as an employed, salary-earning, financially-self-sufficient individual, but also as a human being. I felt like I was fulfilling a call.

Sales does not stir my soul in quite the same way.

Katie’s father also works in sales and he shared his philosophy with me. He said he tries to function primarily as a problem solver. He visits with clients about this and that and when he hears about a way they solved a particular problem, he takes note. Then, when visiting with future clients, even if he’s not in a position to make a sale he has something to offer them. He is a sort of self-proclaimed consultant. He considers it his job to help the folks he interacts with, and he likes his job. He feels fulfilled in it.

He told me to approach my job the same way, to recognize that you can help people through just about any job. He said it was all about my attitude and my approach and that my intent was what mattered. He said God could even bless people through sales.

I smiled, even though I didn’t really buy it.

But I thought about what he said. See, my wife’s dad is a wise man, a good man, and though his advice seemed trite to me I decided I better dwell on it some and consider it. I prayed about it and mulled it over and a few days later I decided that maybe he was right. I resolved to change my approach to my job.

I made two commitments:

1. To help people. I decided that I would not sell, not to anyone, unless I was sure that selling to that person was to their advantage.

2. To be completely honest. I know you will find this shocking, but there are people in sales who will mislead you just to get you to buy something. I decided not to even think about being that kind of sales person. Not to deceive my clients. Not to deceive my boss. Not to deceive my co-workers. Full disclosure.

That was Tuesday of last week. Starting Wednesday, my sales have been, well, good. As of today, the 9th, I am at 140% of my quota. For the month. We have three full weeks left. I have sold something every business day in March. I go to work, I talk to people and I help them. If I can’t help them, I wish them well. If I can help them, I explain everything, answer all their questions and they seem to be buying.

Now, I’m not saying I made some kind of deal with God. Far from it. My theology isn’t that thin. God isn’t giving me deals (which result in money for me) because I did something good. There’s no direct cause-effect here, or not a simple one anyway.

I made a commitment, a good commitment, I think, and God, for whatever reason, is blessing me. It’s not because of my commitment, per se, but it is a blessing nevertheless.

Earlier this week I began to want to give the credit for all this to God. I mean, I’m a competent person and all, but all these deals, all this success, it’s God at work, not me. I’m just trying to stay true to my commitment, and I’ll stay true to it even if the sales dry out. (Though, to be honest, I'm not really worried about that. I think people like buying from someone who's committed to helping them.) The point is, God is doing good things.

James says that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Indeed.

Certainly the good things in my life are from Him. My wife. My friends. My family, including my new relationships with Katie's family. My success. All of it.

And I just want to go on the record with that.