I go to work to relax!

I love my job! No, seriously. Since I have to work outside the home (for now, God-willing), I decided I'm gonna like what I do. After a five-year hiatus from it, I am now back in corporate travel. And I love it! I love all the different people and personalities I talk to each day. I love the service that I provide. And quite frankly, I'm really good at it. (Did anyone else just hear a horn?) I am one of those rare people who love to talk on the phone. All day. AND all night. Like, when I take my headset off at the FT job, I get in the car and put on my cellphone headset. I go home and talk on the cordless, then later after the kids are in bed put on headset #3 to do my WAH gig. You will usually find those that can stand to be on the phone 'cause they HAVE TO, seeing as it's their JOB and all. But they are rarely on the phone outside of work. Not the weirdo phone addict! And yes, I have driven back home for my cell phone --- more than once! I don't have a private line at my desk since I work in call center and you know the daycare could call with an emergency or something, so I HAVE TO keep my cell with me!

Did you buy that? I tried!

So back to work. I enjoy the people around me, though we all have our little idiosyncrasies. What I love love love to watch is when the people freak out when they get a difficult person on the phone! I am not sadistic enough to be reveling on their pain (come on, I'm not that bad). It just amuses me the fact that they let a faceless voice send them to the point of tears. Real tears!! Dude!! Tears!! Red eyes and runny noses, the whole bit!! I have had people drop the 'N-word' on me on the phone before without tears! I just mute 'em and laugh a minute at their 'hoosier-like' tendencies, then I let my manger lay into the guy. And my manager wasn't even "naturally tanned" like me! Then, my dear co-workers go and smoke and talk about how stressed out they are, just doing the regular everyday stuff our job requires. No, we are not overloaded. Yes, we are paid pretty well. No, the vast majority of our clients are not mean. It's them. Or actually, I am starting to think it may be me.

Why don't I get all flustered and frustrated over the phone if I get the traveler from Hades?

1) Because I know not to take it personal.
2) I know that there is usually something else going on in their life than the
travel we're discussing.
3) Remember the Empath? That helps greatly in a customer service field.
So I tell them my usual line: "I am a single mother of 4 children under 9 years old, running an entire household by myself. That's where my stress is. I come here to relax." I don't think they get it.

What I am now working on, is having that same attitude to get me through the rest of the day! It is by God's grace, mercy and love I do all that I do without being insane. Slightly off...but not insane!!! I try to thank Him everyday. I hope you will do the same.