This morning I went to a service project and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t really want to at first because it was snowing when I got up this morning. But, I’m glad I did.
After I went to work later today, I stopped by an outdoor store to check out their backpacks and sleeping bags. I’m still trying to decide on what size of pack I want and how much gear I should bring along with me. David Schmidt(my friend that went to Rome) tells me that I should only bring two changes of clothes. However, I would like to bring more than that. I’m just trying to decide what’s the right amount. It will probably cost me around $150 for a good bag, which isn’t that bad.
I was pretty surprised to see how small of containers sleeping bags can fit into these days. They showed me a $300 down sleeping bag that fit into this little tiny sack. It’s perfect and I need a sleeping bag like that. I think I should be able to find the money to buy both a backpack and a sleeping bag.
I also started doing some research tonight to look for any companies that might be willing to sponsor me. I think I’ll just contact a bunch of random companies and see what they say. I mean, it won’t hurt to try, and I’ll learn from the experience. If I do end up finding anybody who wants to sponsor me, that will be sweet. The more I think about this trip, the more I want to publicize it and try to make it a successful venture, not just a fun adventure. But, whatever happens, it will be memorable.
I had an interview for a job today. I think it’s a pretty good fit for me and I’m hoping that I get it. It’s a phone sales job, but I’ll be selling to consumers, so the sales cycle is much shorter than a B2B sales job. Also, we only contact leads, so, I like that about it as well.
One thing I’ve been thinking about lately while analyzing my career and what to do with my life is how your career affects your ability to serve. I always thought that being an entrepreneur would be great because once you achieve a certain amount of wealth, you can stop worrying about yourself, and all your time and efforts can be put into helping others. That’s a good point, the fact that the less you HAVE to worry about yourself, the more you CAN think about and do service for others. Like, right now, as I’ve been worried and stressed about what kind of jobs I should have, it’s been very hard for me to think about service. Even last weekend, when I was working 15-hour days, it was easier for me to think about service. My schedule was pre-determined, and so my energy could be spent in making the most of my day and helping those around me. When I have to worry about my schedule and what I’m going to do, it leaves a lot less time to worry about helping other people. So, I’m not sure being an entrepreneur is the best way to help others. With a job, a lot of times you only have to think about the job for a certain amount of time, and then you are done thinking about it. An entrepreneur rarely gets a break from thinking about his business. I always wanted a job that I didn’t have to bring home with me, and so with a job it’s much more likely you can leave it at work.
If you are an entrepreneur, you have to think about a lot more, and that additional effort required on your part leaves less time to think about others. So, being an employee actually might be a better way to serve. However, typically an entrepreneur is helping people by the fact that he is building a business. Businesses create jobs, spur the economy, and often better society.
I guess I’m just seeing more and more why being an employee really isn’t as bad as I have made it out to be. One of the biggest things I wanted out of being an entrepreneur is freedom. However, when you are a really good salesman, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Companies kiss the butts of their favorite salesmen. If they want to take work off or whatever, they really don’t have limitations because they are such an indispensible part of a business. So, I can get those same benefits of freedom from a career in sales.
Trip Preparation | Aaron Anderson | 
November 15, 2009 7:06 am | 
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