Why I knocked on 200 doors and asked if they could smell an odor
And how to persevere through difficult tasks
Yes. Knocking on doors and asking people if they could smell rotten eggs sounds like something out of a comedy film. However, that is just what a group of us were assigned to undertake when a chemical company in Auckland had a minor gas leak. The engineers wanted to understand how far the odor had spread in order to implement suitable control measures. Being a university student, this was my first job. Little did I know at the time that it would be a baptism of fire.
The engineers trained us on good communication etiquette and gave us a large map of the community before sending us off in pairs with their best wishes. I was paired up with a nervous Russian lady called Liz who was compelled into taking part by her well-meaning husband who also worked in the firm. We created a plan for the following week to tackle 100 doors a day with breaks for morning tea and lunch squeezed between.
Monday morning found us at the edge of the marked territory. Within minutes the stark reality of what we had set out to do dawned on us.
The first door we knocked on, we got no response. At the second, a grumpy middle-aged codger with white candy-like hair opened and met us with a steely glare.
‘What smell are you on about?’ he asked roughly. ‘The only thing I smell is trouble. Could you please leave?’
And the rude remarks continued…
‘Smell? I don’t smell anything. Bye!’
‘Guys, I’m busy!’ *Slam*
*Door opens* ‘We are not interested’. *Door closed on our stunned faces.*
After the first 50 doors, Liz was ready to give up. She bit her lip nervously as she looked down at her clipboard and surveyed the amount of work left.
‘Michael, I can’t do this anymore’, she said in a worried voice.
I nodded. As I continued down the remaining row of houses alone, I pondered about what made me persevere when I could throw in the towel too.
Understand the greater purpose
When working on difficult, boring, or mundane tasks it always helps to understand the greater purpose of the overall project. In this case, it was to help the engineers gather more constructive data that would help them implement suitable control measures.
Most interns or graduates face situations where their allocated task is mundane or repetitive while the more experienced professionals handle the challenging aspects of the project. In my experience, there are two common ways in which such interns respond.
- Complain about unfairness and take their time completing the task.
- Accept the task thankfully and complete it to the best of their ability.
On talking to interns from both groups, I found that the ones in the second bucket had a stronger understanding of WHY they were working on the task and the part it played in the overall project.
I love this quote from Lisa Terkeust:
“Big things are built one brick at a time. Victories are achieved one choice at a time. A life well lived is chosen one day at a time. “
Always continue learning
Often in life and work, persevering through difficult tasks builds your character and makes you stronger. It teaches you lessons that you would not have learned otherwise.
That day when I knocked on 200 doors, I learned to introduce myself to strangers, face unjust criticism, and collect data efficiently. I also developed a newfound empathy for door salesmen.
Learn to use every experience as a learning opportunity.
One of my favorite scenes from the movie ‘Karate Kid’ is where Jackie Chan (the instructor) teaches Jaden Smith (the pupil) the importance of attitude and repetition.
Chan asks Jaden to repeatedly remove and put on his jacket to the point that Jaden loses his patience and angrily lashes out that he is going to quit. Chan then sternly calls Jaden over.
‘Put on your jacket’ he says. There is more grumbling and complaining. What follows is a coaching masterclass from Chan demonstrating to Jaden that mastering something takes time, effort, and lots of repetition. He also stresses the importance of a learning attitude towards basic, mundane, and repetitive tasks.
Commit to each task with integrity and discipline whether it's wishing your partner ‘Good night’ or hanging up your jacket.
Going back to my story, I ended up knocking on all 200 doors and completing the task. It was definitely not my favorite project but I gained immense satisfaction, learned a few skills along the way (and some much-needed money too! ).
In summary, the next time you are faced with a difficult, monotonous, or repetitive task,
- Seek to understand the greater purpose
- Learn as much as you can from the task
Let me know how you get on in the comments below!
“You have to start somewhere to make it anywhere.”