This morning I went with Craig to drop our load. We had a 7:30 appointment. The receiver was one of those people you just shake your head at. She was so unfriendly and just plain disagreeable. Did she wake up on the wrong side of the bed or does she just hate her life. As a driver you deal with all different types of people. You have the control freaks, the power hungry and the miserable. You also meet some of the coolest and nicest people ever. It all depends on their attitude and yours.
It also makes you decide how to react. When you are dealing with a difficult shipper/receiver it can put you in a bad mood. But then you are letting them control your mood. Your attitude matters. This morning I was a little irked. Mostly because of the early hour but also her rudeness. Craig’s comment was “I’m not going to let her negativity affect me.” It made me think for a second. Because honestly what did her mood matter in our life. We try to stay positive. Always looking for the good in everything and when things do go wrong. Know it will always work out in the end.
Last night I was talking with a new driver, Diane Hess, who follows our blog (Thanks Diane) She and her husband have been out for two weeks. My advice first was just take a deep breath and second was attitude. It reminded me of when Craig and I first started how stressed we were. We seemed to argue way more than normal and the first month or so was really rough. We were lucky that we had great people to talk with about what we were going through. Attitude is a big part of that. Learning all the things you need to do on a daily basis. Learning how to budget your time, take a shower, eat and drive a full shift. It’s not easy and there are days that it can be overwhelming. That is when you need to take a deep breath and remember it should be enjoyable. Once you get the hang of all the above then it gets a little easier and the fun begins. But honestly the first 6 months can be rough. That is where your attitude can make all the difference in the world. You can be miserable or you can laugh it off and move on. I’m glad we choose to laugh! It’s all about the attitude!