People tell me what I do isn't a job, because it's something I love to do. Well I have another job now, and it might not be my passion, like beach volleyball, but it seems to make the everything run a little better. Sure, I'm busy from 9AM-8PM every weekday, but it's almost like a breath of fresh air.
Firstly, it's not something I'm unfamiliar with. I work at Canuckstuff in Scarborough, mostly filling mail orders, packing boxes with volleyball gear. Seeing as I've played the sport for the entirety of my life, plus the fact that the original Canuck Sports Stuff was owned and operated in my house when I was a kid, I know the products. When walk in customers come in, I have no problem giving descriptions of shoes or kneepads etc, because I've tried and tested almost any volleyball brand or equipment you can think of.
Second, my days are no longer wasted. I don't spend my days on the couch in front of the tv anymore, I'm up and doing something all day long. I'm not really sure about the science behind these kinds of things, but I'm actually less tired with the full workload. Somehow it's more draining to channel surf than to be on my feet all day picking items, or stocking shelves. It may also have something to do with the fact that the busy day helps me sleep better during the night. My sleep schedule is now fairly consistent, which it wasn't before. I go to bed around 11PM, wake up at 7AM. Eight hours of solid snoozing, and the constant tiredness I used to experience all of last year is now hardly an issue.
Thirdly, and importantly, it gives me a chance to give back to a couple of my sponsors. Canuckstuff and Overkill help me out, so I'm more than happy to help them out as well. Sponsors are pretty hard to come by for a developing athlete, and this way I get the chance to demonstrate outright my appreciation and dedication to contribute what I can to those who have given me their support.
Finally, I'm making money. And that is never a bad thing. Enough said
So to all those who called me lucky because I never had a real job, I'll tell you this much. I have a real job now, combine that with my other "job" and its well over the average 9-5 grind. But I wouldn't say I'm any less lucky. If anything having a real job that complements my beach volleyball schedule so well makes me even luckier.
Now I'll end this off with a little video that's relevant in title alone, but I think is hilarious:
Cheers,
Ben Jammin
