I-A-Q #19: Just Call Me Star 69 Kid
Happy Monday!
Here is an Idea, an Action, and a Question to consider this week.
Idea
I was a 16-year-old working at Tuxedo Junction as a formalwear consultant. It was an hourly job, with bonuses as incentives for achieving our sales goals.
From time to time, quality control would call the store to assess how well we, the consultants, were adhering to the scripts and protocols. One day, I received a call from someone:
Someone: "Hey! So I'm getting married. Do you have light-colored tuxedos available?"
Me: "Absolutely! We have what you need."
Someone: "Great, thanks. Bye."
In the moments after the call, it dawned on me that I had missed an opportunity. I should have asked important questions like the wedding date and when we could schedule their fitting. It was all part of the script, and I had completely failed to execute.
However, instead of accepting my mistake, I decided to take action. I dialed *69 to find out who had called, allowing me to reach out and ask the follow-up questions I had missed earlier.
Me: "Hello again! This is Matt Gardner from Tuxedo Junction. I apologize for forgetting to ask: When is the wedding? And when can we schedule your first fitting?"
As it turns out, it was the right decision because the person who had called was from quality control.
Fast forward one month.
We all gathered for a Tuxedo Junction conference in New York. My bosses and coworkers were present for this grand event. Upon arrival, I had a chance encounter with the owner:
Owner: "Hey! You're Matt Gardner, right? The Star 69 Kid!"
But this was not a moment of celebration for my resourcefulness. Rather, it was a moment of warning. Corporate leadership made it clear that if I pulled a similar stunt again, I would be fired.
They were not proud of the Star 69 Kid, despite my belief that it was a clever move.
At that conference, amidst my innovative approaches, they also noticed my hair.
Tuxedo Junction, being a relatively conservative corporate company, did not consider my hair suitable for a successful formalwear consultant. In fact, they basically told me to cut it or find another path.
Faced with that dilemma, I chose to embark on a different journey.
Part of my decision was influenced by being a 16-year-old who cherished my hair and didn't want anyone dictating my appearance. Mostly though, I walked away because deep down, I knew that climbing the corporate ladder was not my calling. Even at such a young age, I recognized that I was a free spirit, a pioneer. The constraints of a rigid corporation never resonated with me.
To achieve both success and joy, one must align WHO THEY ARE with WHAT THEY DO. Yes, I could have conformed and cut my hair to become who they wanted me to be. It was not about the hair––it was about freedom. My very being craved the liberation of self-expression and the ability to break away from conformity.
Embrace your authentic self, and choose jobs, projects, and careers that resonate with your disposition and unique gifts. Let your true identity guide your decisions, like a brilliant North Star illuminating your path.
Be unapologetically you, and never allow anyone to stifle your creativity or discourage you from doing things differently. You deserve the freedom to soar.
Stay true to yourself, my friends, and let your light shine brightly.
Action
Ask a close friend/spouse/partner for coffee––virtual or in-person. Explain that you’re on the path to becoming more aligned in your life with who you actually are. With that objective in mind, ask them the following three questions:
What should I stop doing?
What should I keep doing?
What should I start doing?
Tell them that you’re looking for their REAL ANSWER. The answers may be surprising. They may also help set you on the path to do more of what you’re meant to be doing.
Question
Do you believe that the work you do is aligned with who you are?
See you next week,
Matt “Roar” Gardner
Real estate investor-agent, Author of Supersonic Real Estate: Light Your Afterburner to Accelerate Your Investor-Agent Career (Coming Soon!), and keynote speaker
