Last February, Joe started his own little Garbage Can Curbside Service. For details, go HERE. In short, he asked our neighbors if he could roll out, and then back in, their garbage cans on trash day. In return, they would pay him 25¢ each week.
Over the last 8 months, Joe has learned a lot of Life Lessons. He has learned about money, about responsibility, about being reliable and about doing things you don't always want to do. This week he learned about quitting.
On garbage night, Joe was certain that he did not want to do his job. He was tired, his mom has been on business travel for 2 weeks and no one was happy. Still, his dad told him that you don't get to just quit. First, if you need to quit, you have to give a couple weeks notice so the neighbors can find someone else to do the job. Second, if you are unhappy but give yourself some time to think about the situation, you may change you mind.
Joe went on to roll out the trash cans for all the neighbors and then came home to "give notice" that he was quitting his job. Joe wrote out a letter to each of the neighbors and was prepared to hand it out.
After a few hours, I spoke with Joe on the phone and discussed the situation. By this time, he had decided his job wasn't so bad and he would not be delivering the letters. It all seemed very reasonable to me. Sometimes I don't want to do the job that is constantly sending me away from my family, and I prepare to "give notice", only to change my mind within a few hours. Quitting in the heat of the moment might feel good momentarily, but not being able to pay the bills will probably hurt for a long time.
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