Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright: Daniela Duverge

"Don't worry 'bout a thing. 'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright." ~ Bob Marley

I am a Bob Marley fan. I've never smoked weed in my life, so don't make any assumptions LOL. I just like Bob Marley's music. I heard that line from Three Little Birds the other day, "Don't worry 'bout a thing, 'cause every little thing is be alright," and I said to myself, "that is what I'm going to write about this week."

Have you ever met somebody that made you instantly sit up and take notice? We all have, and when we meet somebody like that, we never forget how, when, and where we met them. They leave such an impression that they're just impossible to forget. This is a story about a time I met one of those people.

When I was a principal down in Florida, we had two job openings, for a secretary and a teacher’s aide. I posted the jobs on Indeed.com. It was the first time I’d ever used their site. I came and checked it the next day, and there were over 300 applicants! It was crazy how huge the response was.

I started sifting through the applicants, and right away, a few stood out a little more than the rest. I picked up the phone and started setting up interviews. A little later that morning I had a message to call a “Daniela” back. I had called so many people that I just assumed she was somebody I called earlier that morning.

That turned out not to be the case. Daniela had seen the ad and called me instead. She was very direct on the phone, almost to the point of being pushy, but she was very nice. I told her we were calling people for interviews, and that I would be in touch. I proceeded to call the other names on my list and set up more interviews.

The next day I got another call from Daniela. This time she told me she lived in the area and asked when she could come by and see me. I told her I wasn’t done setting up interviews. Daniela kept talking, telling me how her plan was to get her foot in the door at a school and one day become a principal herself. I was really impressed with the initiative she took. I told her I’d call her back the next day.

I finished getting all of my interviews together, and I called Daniela back to schedule her an interview, too. I’ve interviewed a lot of people in my life, but let me tell you something about Daniela Duverge… when she walked in that door and started talking, she sounded like a person that was going places in life. She was energetic, ambitious, and full of confidence. I hired her that same day.

Daniela not only did a great job dealing with the public, but she improved morale at school among staff members. Everybody got along with her. She was always willing to help people out. My favorite memory is the time she brought Tres Leches to somebody’s birthday party. For those of you that don’t know what that is, trust me, it is maybe the best desert I’ve ever had in my life!

In my opinion, Daniela had this impact on people for two reasons: One, she is a person of tremendous faith. Little things might get her down, but they don’t keep her down… And two, she just always has a “glass half full” way of looking at life.

Daniela moved on at the end of the year to finish her degree at the University of Central Florida. We still talk from time to time. I am supremely confident that no matter what she does in life, she’s going to be good at it and make life more enjoyable for everybody around her. So what does this have to do with you? How does this have anything to do with your life? What is the moral of the story here? Well, I’m glad you asked…

The song “Don’t Worry ‘Bout A Thing” is actually talking about Three Little Birds. That is the name of the song. Those birds sing every morning because they know “Every little thing is gonna be alright.” That’s how we need to approach our problems. Are you going to have serious situations that need your attention? Sure you will, but most of the time your “problems” are just minor things that worrying about isn’t going to fix anyway.

More importantly, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and really try to achieve something. Daniela could have applied and waited on a phone call like everybody else. If she had, I can almost guarantee that I never would have even interviewed her. Out of 300+ applicants her chances of being one of the six to eight finalists were slim to none.

Instead she took the initiative. She called me. What’s the worst thing that could have happened, me saying no? Daniela wasn’t afraid of no! She was basically saying, “If I can just get an interview, if they just meet me, they’ll have to hire me.” She bet on herself and she won.

So get out there this week and bet on yourself. Stop worrying. Believe everything is going to work out and be okay. You'll be glad you did. I sure am glad Daniela took that approach. It allowed me to cross paths with an amazing person that added value to my life.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Please keep the comments and ideas coming. I appreciate all of the feedback. Have an awesome week. #JWT