I learned my first lesson on taking the initiative from my parents who said to do a task before being asked.

Later on, it was the military training I got in the Army that landed me my first civilian job. I went straight from there to a job at my local hospital lab as an MLT, even though I hadn’t received my license yet.

I had a great first boss, his name was Alton, who also served. He understood that sometimes the military can be unfair, like they were with me. See, I wanted to go back to Ft Sam and finish school so I could get my license but Ft Hood would not release me to do so. They claimed they needed all the personnel because it was the biggest military installation and couldn’t lose me, even for a few months.

Alton gave me a chance, and I served as a phlebotomist and performed a few basic lab tests like urine analysis, RPRs, CBCs, and some in microbiology. I learned so much and was always eager to learn more and do more. I would take extra shifts or work days if someone couldn’t come in. My favorite shift was the night shift though, because it was all men and they let me do any test I wanted. The ladies on the day shift were not so nice.

Much later and many jobs under the bridge, I landed the best job ever at the cancer center totally based on experience. Kathy made me draw her blood and hired me on the spot. She had very hard veins after going through treatment herself. She loved my enthusiasm and energy. She could see I was a self-starter and took initiative when doing my tasks.

She was hands down the best boss I ever had, before I met Laurie. Working for him meant I was one of the family. That’s a story for another day, but he saw my drive and initiative as well.

In between school and the service I worked in nursing homes as a nurses aide. It was hard work, but my patients and their families loved me. I did many things without being asked, and not expecting anything in return. Yet families tried to tip me and brought me little gifts. I could not accept tips, but a small gift was ok.

Initiative pays off is the moral of the story. It can open doors for you that shyness will never do. Had I not showed initiative, I might never have heard the words “job well done”.