Читать книгу The Problem Was Me - Thomas Ph.D. Gagliano - Страница 8

By the time I graduated from college in 1981, my father’s compulsions had taken their toll. Due to heavy drinking, he was suffering from panic attacks. These turned out to be a blessing of sorts. His fear of death gave him the motivation to seek help.

I joined my father’s business in the garment industry. The first day he told me a man must always be loyal to his business. Wives and family will betray you, but your business will always be there for you. It was a fast-paced environment. We made trim out of the customer’s material and affixed it to the garment as fast as we could. Since the trim was the last step in production before it was shipped to the stores, speediness was vital to meeting the customer’s deadlines.

To my surprise, my father’s seemingly successful business was hanging on by a thread. He admitted his shortcomings had gotten the best of him and that he was not able to run his business anymore. For many years, my father was the best in his industry. Now, the consequences of his drinking and gambling had caught up to him. His business was on the verge of bankruptcy. Not surprisingly, his employees were lazy, arrogant, and uncaring. Being a caretaker and yearning for his approval, the decision to join his business was easy, but to keep the business afloat I had to make drastic changes.

I wasn’t given the authority to fire any of his workers, so I sent them home early without pay. I took on all of their work myself. I worked long hours. Eventually, the employees asked to be let go. I hired new employees who were enthusiastic and ambitious team players. To find new clients and get back former clients, I offered free services. I would tell potential customers that the first time I picked up material from them I would turn it into trim and return the finished product at no cost. The key to my success was returning the trim to them in a matter of hours, knowing my competitors could not accomplish this. This allowed me to successfully get my foot in the door and show our customers how fast and efficient we had become.

Miraculously, my father started getting help for his drinking. A transformation took place as he began telling me how proud he was of my accomplishments. He gave me full credit for saving his business. I thought his praise would remedy my problem. I was wrong. Nothing could heal what was broken inside; my real problem—my victim thinking—continued to be fueled by the warden’s voice.