Just Keep Pushing!

Simple Inspiration

Just keep pushing! 

This phrase is often seen as overused and cliché, but the power these three words hold can truly inspire people. Today I heard this phrase over and over, as I had my first day loading trucks at Fed Ex ground. Each one of our trucks carries anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 packages, all of which need to be sorted, scanned and packed by people like me. Today was an eye opener for me as to how difficult these jobs truly are. More than 50 packages are being thrown into the truck by a conveyor belt each minute. Each one coming in different shapes and sizes, some of which weigh more than 100 pounds. As a packer I have to take each box off the line, scan it, put it into a record book, and then pack it in without any space left between the boxes. It’s a very stressful job that involves a lot of focus and speed, and especially as a first timer I felt like I was about to lose my mind trying to keep up with the sheer volume of boxes being thrown at me. However, I had one phrase that kept me going the entire time. My manager kept shouting “just keep pushing” every few minutes, and something about hearing that constantly had me feeling inspired to work hard and give it all my energy.

Throughout my four hour shift today, we had two new people just like me quit before the day was even up. I really can’t blame them either. The sheer amount of stress being put on you when you're in the heat of the moment could drive anyone to leave. However, there is something to be said about the fact that me and my partner for the day had the most trucks packed and both of us seemed to enjoy our shift. Our manager was the only one cheering us on and repeating that phrase over and over. It kept me and my partner focused on completing our mission and working as hard as we could. I felt so inspired throughout the entire process that I’m actually excited for my shift tomorrow, so excited that at the end of the day I asked to be switched to a loading position from now on. There was something about being cheered on that really kept my energy up. It was truly inspiring.

I’m genuinely proud of the volume of work I completed today. Both me and my loading partner were told that we performed incredibly well for our first time and we kept up with the experienced loaders. However, I know that I wouldn’t have kept up with that pace without the constant inspiration I was receiving. I’m looking forward to continuing my work at the loading docks and improving in my speed and accuracy. 

I would urge anyone who works in a stressful environment to be the one cheering people on. The power your words have to inspire others is truly beautiful. You can change moods and change hearts with three simple words, “just keep pushing.”

-Braden Schmidt 11-12-2019