To Beg or Not to Beg

I don’t like begging. It’s a matter of pride. I’ve been known to say that I would rather starve than beg (extreme, I know). Even asking for the smallest thing makes me a tad uncomfortable. And I’m not particularly good at it either. That’s the main reason that I overlook sales-type jobs that include selling a product, an image, or an idea. I can do it if I have to but I’d prefer not to. Today I did it (for a good cause) and found that it was not as distasteful as I remembered it being.

Years ago when I was still in college I saw an ad for a sales job in the paper and against my better judgment I showed up for the orientation. It was then that we were told, or rather shown, what we would be doing. Basically, we would set up on a street corner and use cheap gifts to try to entice people to sign up for credit cards. No doubt that this trick works- it’s how I’ve come to have multiple credit cards that I don’t remember signing up for and until a few years ago, couldn’t keep track of. Colleges really should ban credit card companies from setting up on campus. Most teenagers just aren’t ready to be fiscally responsible. We need only to look at the current state of our economy to see proof of this. But I digress. Since that first meeting was merely an orientation, I didn’t get paid for that day (probably a scam) but the experience did help me to develop awareness when I found myself in a similar situation. That next time, I skipped the orientation altogether and felt better for spotting the scam before I had wasted any of my time. However I am finding begging to be an easier task when it’s done, not for myself or in the name of greedy corporations, but to further a worthy goal. By the same token, people generally feel better about giving when they know that it's for a good cause.