Aren't We Just Doing Our Own Jobs?

Aren't you tired of seeing the same old kind of blog posts day in day out? Top 10 places to visit, or activities to do or food to eat? I am, that's for sure and that's why I try to present my readers with different reads.

Warning: Descriptive post ahead

Title: Aren't We Just Doing Our Own Jobs?

He checked his watch. He was on time. As always. The countdown started. Three hours. He just had to endure it for three hours and he would be on his way home, a little richer, with a bit more to spend.

Taking up his position beside the machine, he helped himself to a stack of leaflets from one of the compartments on the machine. It didn't matter how many. It simply mattered that he was doing his job, giving them out to passer-bys. That was but part of his job requirement. To those who stopped at the machine, they required another service from him. He had to serve them and ensure their needs were met. It was generally simple unless technical issues surfaced. Operating the machine was simple. Pressing the right buttons was nothing, even for him. Scanning their flashcards to make a reservation, or returning what they have rented. Mostly, it was showing them how it worked and how much of a no brainer it was. All part and parcel of the job scope.

Considering that there were regular customers, people who were waiting for others nearby, he would usually be able to engage a few members of the public. Then there were days when no one would stop by. No one would even take the leaflets from his hands. It was as if taking one would kill them. Well, he did have the occasional ear-candy to listen to when certain trailers with recent songs played on the machine. He did this for like three days a week? Standing there mostly do nothing was pretty painful to him. He rather that he did something. Otherwise his legs would send compelling signals to his brain and tell him that he should start to feel tired after that amount of time on his feet.

It was essentially people watching. Observing their walking speed, their posture, their walking paths and whether they were accompanied or walked alone. Those in a hurry would unlikely pick up those leaflets he was giving, or else they would grab it and shove it somewhere to keep. The ones moving at a leisure pace, ah, those were his potential targets. Possibly window shopping, or waiting for a friend. They would be more willing to accept that leaflet. Of course, there are those who would avoid his gaze and keep a distance from him as they approach his direction. He told himself not to waste time and effort on them. They weren't worth the disappointment. Yes, it was both emotionally and physically tiring. Imagine being constantly rejected. It wasn't like that of a rejection faced during a proposal but the feeling sucked all the same. He knew he had to get used to it. He had to. When it came to those moving in groups, it was a 50-50. Clueless about it, he knew it was up to chance.

Since he was stationed in a mall that was pretty much accessed by a lot of crowd, it was no wonder that a friend spotted him working one fine day. It felt quite embarrassing for him. Not to mention that the shirt he was wearing with the company logo was not exactly the most stylish, being all baggy and loose. That was however nowhere near humiliating. What was perhaps the most humiliating was when a newly hired security guard approached him and threatened to throw him out of the mall for handing out leaflets. He was but doing his job and with all that negative emotions that came with it, of course he got angry. The boss he worked for was informed but whatever the case, the security guard got his way and he was told to go to another location, suck thumb it was.

After that incident, he continued his work for a couple more weeks until it was time to stop. Did he learn a lot from this short stint? He certainly did. That experience taught him to put himself into someone's shoes. We are all concerned with our own shoes but how often do we take a look from the shoes of others? 

Choosing shoes? 

Everyone is doing their own job and with every job comes its own set of challenges and difficulties. If accepting a leaflet could help someone out and give that person a little bit more of positive energy, why not? If being cheerful and understanding to someone when he has made a mistake could help him avoid feeling lousy, why not? 

Spread the love, stay positive!

I hope you have enjoyed this short post that describes a person's thoughts on his part time job. If you are keen to find a part time job, check out the Stroff.com portal for part time jobs singapore and more specifically, part time jobs for students if you are still studying.

All photos are taken by me.