The other day my bride mentioned she had read my post on my new year’s resolutions.
She thinks anytime I write how I can improve myself is time well spent. She loves me, too.

Not only am I trying to make positive changes for me, I’m actually pleasing my better half! Win/Win!

I’m pretty sure she finds my writing about the subject of labor relations is pretty boring to read.
She’s probably right.
The subject matter is um… dry.
She likes it when I write about my personal experiences.

I’ve written before that I never did intend to seek a career in this field. How many others realized that after decades in one job category or another. No, I was destined to run for elected office. And I did.

But my career became all about labor issues: Hearing grievances, training employees on labor contracts, negotiating contracts.

When I started out in labor relations, I had to take a 2 day training seminar on our state’s largest contract, covering close to 40,000 employees. It encompassed reviewing over 30 Articles of the agreement. It was mind numbing. So I skipped out. I came late and left early. My lunch hour became 2 hours plus.

It was excruciating to sit through the sessions. “Boring” did not adequately explain my pain.
It wasn’t a total waste though however, I did learn two things.

1. The training instructor turned out to be one of my supervisors. (not good)
2. Karma is a bitch. In a year I was assigned to do the training. As the instructor! (what do I do now)

So, in this blog and in my book Reaching Resolutions 10 Rules for Success. I try to make what I did relate-able to every day life. I tell stories.
Everyone negotiates in some fashion every day. We try to reach resolutions in life. Our own resolutions.

In trying to convince the representatives of 40,000 union employees to agree to changes in their wages or hours of work or overtime provisions, I believe the same principles will also work if your trying to convince a car salesman to agree to your price. Or in convincing your kids lights are off at 8 p.m. Or persuading your coworkers there is a more efficient way to perform a particular task. Or in trying to negotiate a pay raise.

But don’t I have to be an expert, you may ask?
Well, despite what “experts” say, No you don’t.
Negotiating really doesn’t have to be intimidating or hard to do.
I did it, so can you.

Life is a negotiation. Life is negotiable. Still.

Ciao

JT
Click the vid link below
As usual, Miechelle is right because…