I don’t have any specialized talent or skills. I don’t have a super memory. I am not connected to the Washington beltway or sponsored by one percenters. I am just like you and I’m here to tell you why we are more alike than we are different.
I ONCE HAD A 9-5 JOB
It wasn’t a long time ago that I had a nice cushy job and always had the security of a steady paycheck. However, when the market took a dump, my private sector projects tanked my business and I was forced to take a position in Miami-Dade County as a Construction Manager 3.
In that job, my days were pretty easy. Each morning, I would dress up ‘business casual” and head to the office on the Express bus, transfer to the train piled with 9-5’ers, and get off at the exit at my building.
My office was on the 11th floor and after a few morning pleasantries, I was back on the elevator down to the cafeteria for some pastries and pastelitos.
The morning cafecito crowds were a usual mix of the same characters. The smokers, people who drag in late, the homeless, early birds returning from a walk after clocking in, delivery drivers, visitors and county staff from other facilities. It was a good mix of morning humor and a way to pass the early morning hours, assuming you had no 9 a.m. meetings.
Then, I was back upstairs to welcome everyone that I had not greeted in the 1st set of rounds. Our team occupied 25% of the floor, so there were another 75% of people at desks who I didn’t interact with throughout the day. Truth be told, I got more local news in the first two hours of the day than Channel 7.
After returning to my desk and responding to the barrage of emails, the assistant director usually would come in with a new found agenda that we were now forced to adhere to based on upper management meetings.
So, off we go in the county car to a county facility to address a complaint or, in this case, a change that a tenant wants in one of our over 100 facilities. These meetings can take between 15 mins to 1 hour, but there is still a 2-hour traffic back and forth.
After a late morning meeting, we track back to the office in preparation for lunch where we spend countless times discussing what to order, where to go, and with whom.
A usual meeting or conference call in the early afternoon, a few more emails, and the day is over.
If any of that story sounds familiar to you, then I wish you the best because I decided to end it.
BUT THEN, I QUIT
I remember the day I came back to the office and announced that I QUIT. Many people told me to never come back as it would only be a lifetime sentence of unfulfilled hopes and shattered dreams.
So many people admitted that they felt trapped in that job too. They once had aspirations and dreams like starting a restaurant, a day care, bakery, and a cleaning business.
However, they didn’t pursue these because they weren’t sure and they love the security of living from check to check. The job that once brought them security and comfort now becomes the chains that held them back from ever pursuing those ambitions.
Some (like me) came to the county after failed attempts at business, a layoff in the private sector, and others referred by family and friends, and they simply never worked anywhere else. All of them knew that the minimal responsibility position was not transferable to “real world” jobs.
“In the private sector, you must deliver; in the county, you just have to show up and get through the day.”
NOW, EXPLORE YOUR INNER GIANT!
Now picture me, Eric Coffie, in that same 9-5 job all over again. What if I had stayed in the county and left my dreams rot away in my mind? Would you ever know me? Would you know about Govcon Giants and learn from our wide-array of valuable content?
I don’t think so. You would never come to know my name or that of thousands of other entrepreneurs out there in the world if we all had chosen to stay at our jobs.
Though I have to admit, many people do enjoy the routine and consistency of a steady paycheck, but for the rest of us with high hopes for the future, this was not the place.
So, if you think you are the next inventor, creator, and entrepreneur, explore your INNER GIANT!
Abandon the false comfort of check and take the first step towards realizing your FULL potential!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RESOURCES!
With this in mind, if you want to know how to transform your life and realize your full potential, then check the resources below.
If you also want to learn how to do business with the government through government contracts, then join us here at GovCon Giants.
Just visit our website and other social media platforms or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!
10 Steps to Life Transformation – Eric Coffie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yeu0bRx71cc&t=1111s
5 Step Formula for Overnight Success – Govcon Training Day 4 – Eric Coffie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMMWh5dSbgU&t=737s
Evolve or Die! Savor Life versus Make Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQbA8nesh8s&t=2161s
How to Set Goals in Life – Eric Coffie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLqx9IjOXTs&t=167s
Govcon Giants Podcast Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jBNNcc98vTBvNhFYfUTeH0k-Vx2VBH
Motivation Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jBNNcc98vrZd7y7Jp78iyFpJhcrO-R