Attitude Adjustment

I'm not going to lie, I'm generally a pretty poor sport about my job. I started working at Panera Bread my junior year in high school, which was great at the time: decently regular hours, free food, a short 12 minute drive from home (nine that time I almost missed Grey's Anatomy...), and, of course, an opportunity to make money. Now, though, as a junior in college (wait, when did that happen?!), it rarely seems so fantastic. Yes, I am always grateful to have a job that is willing to give me hours every time I come home for breaks; trust me, I know this is a blessing. Still, over the past few years, completing shift after shift at Panera has become more of a dreaded chore, a necessary evil on the road to financial security, something to be endured.

Well, this winter break I am yet again back at Panera - let's be serious, who else is going to hire me for a month? But for these few weeks I've decided to test drive a new attitude at work, one that will hopefully make my presence at the restaurant more pleasant for me and more beneficial for others.

First, a lot has changed as far as how things are being done at work, and I was quite nervous to go back and be clueless. However, instead of letting my anxiety get the best of me, I've decided to be excited about having the opportunity to learn. As I discussed with a customer earlier this afternoon, you learn something new every day - I, for example, have learned how to make a peppermint mocha and mint crinkle cookies, two things I didn't know how to do on Tuesday (I have also learned that mint crinkle cookies are DELICIOUS!).

Second, and perhaps more importantly, I have decided to view every customer that walks through the door as a chance to love on someone, and to realize that each "someone" may really need it on that particular day. Usually I let customers stress me out fairly easily, whether it's because they take me away from a task I need to complete, or because they are scolding me for a mistake on an order I had nothing to do with, or just because I don't feel like being there, and as a result I am sometimes not the friendliest. It's not that I'm rude, I don't think; I just couldn't necessarily be described as "warm" or "loving." Over the past few days, however, I have been making a conscious effort to give as many smiles and laughs as I can, strike up conversations at even the most random opportunity, and in general make like Lee Brice and "love like crazy." I've even been holding my loving ground with the not-so-nice customers: those who come in with a sour face, those who complain, or those who are so rushed they can't be bothered to acknowledge my "Good morning, how's it goin'?" And you know what? Nine times out of ten I've been able to melt through that stressed, irritated exterior and get a smile or a few kind words out of those people. It's almost like a challenge or a game, and it reminds me of something Father Baker talks about a lot - you can't stop me from loving you. You can be stubborn and try your hardest, but you can't take away my ability to love you. So bring it on, Panera customers, I've been practicing!

While it has only been three days and this new attitude could quickly fade away, it's actually been making work quite fun and enjoyable this week! It's like those posters my high school teachers would hang in their classrooms, reminding us that "attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." There's no denying it's wicked cheesy, but it's also incredibly true. If nothing else, at least my little experiement in learning and loving is making each shift go by faster, while simultaneously helping me feel like I'm accomplishing something more substantial than toasting bagels and counting change!