This is a post of triumph. But first, let me set the scene:
Here’s the deal–work has been pretty crazy for the past couple of weeks. Not particularly stressful (although, of course, there have been moments), just a lot of moving parts. The company I work for has rebranded this summer and we’re launching our new brand on October 1st. As you know, that’s only a few days away.
It’s unheard of for a company to completely rebrand in only three months. The process usually takes somewhere between six and eighteen months. So, yes, my co-workers and I have been busy bees to say the least. I am the Marketing Coordinator–and there has been a lot of coordinating happening!
One big part of our brand launch is company swag–you know, shirts and pens and mugs and mouse pads and pens and beach towels and just generally swag with the new logo on it. It’s the whipped cream on top of the rebranding world. And I’ve been in charge of all of it. Unless you’ve been through ordering swag for an entire company, you cannot fully understand how ridiculous and time-consuming the process can be! Sizes and colors and logos and colors and…oh my, I need a nap.
Oh and one more thing, we wanted all of the different items to be shipped to the office by October 1st. #rushdeliveryisexpensive Now that you’re clued, here’s the story:
It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon in the office. Although no one was speaking, the hurried sound of keys clacking and mouses clicking filled the space. The aroma of coffee and espresso floats; it’s the smell of on-edge productivity. My eyes are locked into my computer screen as I redesign an old piece of collateral.
I had just emailed Amy, the sweet woman who works for a company that works as a middleman between swag-ordering-companies and swag-producing companies, asking her when our new items would arrive. Although I realized that we might not get all the swag in time for the first, per our CEO, it is imperative that we have something to hand out to employees over our champagne toast to the new brand.
My focus is broken. “Blair, there’s a large order for you in the lobby.”
I am so relieved that I nearly hug the woman who told me that the order had arrived. You see, I’m heading out for a business trip tomorrow for the entire week, so I only had two more business days at that point to get the items sorted and prepped for launch on the 1st (which I won’t even be at because of said business trip!).
I haul the four boxes into my cubicle, excited to see the products of my labor. I open the first box, pull out a mug, and sink into my chair. It’s all wrong. Wrong colors, wrong size, wrong everything. Then I pull out another one, it’s broken. As I continue to open the boxes, they’re all wrong and some are shattered.
And here’s where I triumphed: I didn’t freak out.
I calmly placed the mug back into the box and whispered to myself, “It’s only mugs.” Got onto my email and sent Amy a short note explaining the problem. I then walked into my boss’s office, smiled, and told her what happened. And I moved on with my day.
If you don’t know me, let me fill you in. THIS IS NOT NORMAL BLAIR BEHAVIOR. I am detail-oriented, type-a, and perfectionistic to a fault. When things go wrong in a way that only affect me, I become upset and frustrated. When things go wrong in a way that affect the company I work for, I lose my marbles. LOSE THEM.
This is triumph. Because any time that we as people act against our natural inclination, that’s big. And I 100% attribute it to the Lord working in my heart. He’s been doing huge huge huge things in me to eradicate fear. Fear of the unknown and fear of failure and everything in between. Because, truly, stress and worry are out of fear. And God doesn’t do fear–He does faith.
And because God does faith and not fear, I too will [strive to] live faith and not fear.
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” Matthew 6:27-29
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalms 37:5
Ok, I am proud of you BUT I must hear the ending to the story as soon as you get back. I want to know what arrived and what did not.
Love you, Aunt Sharon! 🙂
xo,
b
Thank you for this! I’ve had a rough week myself and this was a nice reminder that freaking out about everything on my to-do list or trying to accomplish it with a poor attitude is not going to help me. I’m glad I stumbled on your blog 🙂 Hope everything turns out okay on your end. Good luck!
Glad you were encouraged, Deana! Hope your stress levels subside!
xo,
b