I Fell Asleep Driving

I fell asleep driving.

That’s not an analogy, I fell asleep while parallel parking a stick-shift. Normally, it’s rather difficult to fall asleep in the middle of a task like that. I was driving that tired just to deliver a medium pizza and 2-liter of Sprite. I fell asleep while manipulating the stick shift, clutch and checking mirrors. The abrupt bump into the curb woke me up, and the adrenaline kept me awake through the next stop and remainder of my shift.

I’m sure some have, but I don’t imagine most reading this have pushed to that level of exhaustion. It may sound unreal, unsafe, or unrelatable. Unsafe? Probably. Let me tell you why I drove my car into the curb and myself to that level of exhaustion.

If you don’t have time to read this, here’s the point: I’m using a personal story to show how a philosophical ‘why’ like “provide for my family” directly ties to deciding how to deliver pizza.

I was an active-duty Marine and after training with my Marines during the day, I wanted to hold my son. It was 2004, I was a junior enlisted Marine and my first born was pre-mature, in the hospital and I needed to earn an additional $135/wk to make ends meet. I can’t tell you the level of satisfaction I got each week, why my tips would reach the $135 weekly objective and the envelope was full. It’d usually happen with a shift to spare. Anything over $135 meant my wife and I could go out to dinner or lunch. Still, it wasn’t as satisfying as picking my wife up after my Domino’s shift (of course after my Marine duties were done for the day), heading to the hospital, and getting an hour or two with my son.

I’d get home around 12-2am, and wake up at 4:30am to get ready and report for duty, M-F. For those 6 weeks my son was in the hospital, I averaged 2-4hrs of sleep a night. On one occasion I made it to 6 hours of sleep one weekend. It is amazing what a person is capable of, if you know why you are doing it. The effort was worth it.?My son was my ‘why’. My smaller decisions working, and on deliveries, all fed my why.

The metric to tell me I was on track, was that envelope. The envelope wasn’t my ‘why’, but it was what I could measure.

I forgot a 2-liter on a delivery. So I went to the nearest corner store to buy one (out of my own pocket) and get it back to the customer ASAP. Why? Because it was faster than going back to the Domino’s location. Why did that matter? Because I needed another delivery and another tip as quick as possible and time was the enemy. Why did that matter? Because there are only so many deliveries to be made and even then, gas costs money as well. Why did I need more deliveries and tips? I needed to fill that envelope with $135 before the week ended. Why $135? Because it meant my bills were paid, my family was provided for.

Not long after my son got home, I got promoted. It meant I could live close to where I worked on the base. That meant more take home pay, and less travel time and gas money spent. Soon, I didn’t need that $135 envelope, and I quit delivering pizza. My why didn’t change, but when circumstances changed, I was able to change my decisions.

Understanding why, many levels (at least 2) above you – is not about philosophy. It’s about efficiency and enablement. Have a clear why, make decisions that support it, and commit to those decisions like their outcome will make or break your why.

If you are so lucky – you’ll learn how to do this for the teams you lead.