Blog 3450 – 04.14.2025

“Control the Controllables and Don’t Worry About The Rest”

Some of the very best advice that I ever received and was wise enough to listen to came from the Zone Manager of Mercedes Benz of North America who had reluctantly promoted me from Expediter for the Houston MBNA Vehicle Preparation Center to Assistant Zone Office Manager/Tourist Coordinator for the MBNA Houston Zone Office. I had applied for the position six months earlier when it came open and the position went to a very smart and capable young woman who did an excellent job. However her husband’s work was transferring him to another city and so she agreed to quit her job with Mercedes and seek employment in the new city. Since the job opening was posted again, I applied again. When I was interviewed by the Zone Manager the second time for the job, he told me that it took a lot of courage to apply for a job you can already been turned down for. He went on to say that he was going to give me a chance and that I need to get some dress slacks and dress shirts and that wearing a tie in my new position was mandatory. Then he passed a slip of paper to me with my new starting salary and shook my hand.

At that time he also gave me the advice that I quoted above in the title to this piece. I had a lot of new duties to learn from the lady that was leaving in one week. I took notes and was determined to prove that I was up to the task. For many years after Mercedes consolidated the Houston Zone Office and Vehicle Preparation Center into the Jacksonville, Florida MBNA Regional Office and VPV several years later, I thought that I would never find as satisfying a job as that one was.

Worrying is trying to take responsibilities that are above our pay grade or as a quote I once saw said, “Worrying is trying to do God’s job.”

Some months ago I started carrying in my pocket the above reminder and made its words a part of my daily mantra.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bWBw3vc0w8q3e5I5mmXTlH0X3a-bZh49/view?usp=drivesdk

Don’t Worry Be Happy