Take my job seriously - with balance

This morning while listening to the life story of a pilot, he mentioned at one point that he took his work very seriously.  Given his personality and training, I have no doubt he does it.  What does it mean to take one's job seriously? 

To take one's job seriously, one must work very hard to make sure every aspect of the job is done in the best way possible, the end results are obtained in the most efficient way and there are no tasks left undone.

At the same time, I have been advised that there are certain aspects of  my work that I should not take so seriously.  I need to lighten up a bit.

OK, do you see the problem.  This is like a tug-o-war between opposing forces.  If I lighten up with respect to certain people or issues, then it changes my whole perspective.  On the other hand, if I buckle down and take my job seriously, that will impact all aspects of my work.

Somehow I will need to find the balance.  I think I need more of both the seriousness and the lightening up!  They will just have to get along.

Gratefulness

Here is a practical definition of gratefulness that I need to be reminded of.

Gratefulness is making known to others in what ways they have benefited our lives.

This makes it quite clear that gratefulness is not satisfied with staying inside, but it insists on getting out in the open and blessing that person.

Positive Things

There are a few positive things I can focus on.  The reason for this list shall not be disclosed here, but this list is very important and potentially of great benefit to me.

Demonstrated
Analysis
Focus on customer
Demonstrate ethics and integrity
Technical job knowledge
Overall work quality

To Leverage

Analytical analysis
Initiative
Accuracy

Work Quote and Better

While reading some quotes about hard work, I came across this one:

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
Doug Firebaugh

I do not know this author, yet, but I do like this quote.  Key aspects of this quote are:

Baby steps are OK.
Look forward to tomorrow.  Plan.
Expect a better tomorrow.  Anticipate.
Do something = Work!


Conclusion:  It is possible that tomorrow can be better.  Yes!

I can be motivated if I want to

So, why is it that I can be highly motivated to work on writing articles, blogging and doing MyLot discussions when I am at work?  I can dig in and focus and produce.  But, of course, there is the little issue regarding what I am supposed to be doing at work.  I think the motivation comes from doing something new and different, and there is a hope that it will eventually lead to a successful place on the Internet where I might earn some money.

Work is different.  When on the web, I have to work for every penny, therefore I celebrate every penny.  When I work, the pay is fixed.  The work, both new assignments and others that should already be done are waiting for my attention.  There is no carrot, reward or appreciation for completing the work, other than the sense of accomplishment, and satisfying the sense of duty.  Of course, I owe my employer my best effort.  Likewise, I dare not take my job for granted.  Do you know how hard it would be to find another one?

So, when I ponder not being motivated, I must also challenge myself to be honest with myself.  Maybe I am just choosing not to put my best effort into work.  Maybe I need to choose differently!

Side Note on Motivation

I found it curious, and somewhat humorous that while I have been discussing my need for more motivation, on another site I just posted an article attempting to motivate others.  What was I thinking?

Centered, Focused

One of the factors that definitely influences my ability to work and to be motivated to do so, is whether I am focused or not.  Have you heard of the expression 'being centered'?  My understanding is that it means being focused, in a way that my mind and my energy are directed to the current issue or project.

Many times I find myself living in a cloud of multi-faceted distraction.  If I feel even half-way motivated (or pressured) to do what I should be doing, I might get started and then shortly be pulled in another direction.  Obviously this is bad medicine for anyone who wants to complete tasks and reach goals.

I have not figured out the perfect formula for getting myself focused, and it is not always the same thing that works.  Here are a few things that have worked at different times:

power nap - after 20 minutes of refreshment, my mind is ready to focus.

caffeine - sometimes a good dose of caffeine makes a difference.  On rare occasion I could almost feel it working and my mind clearing.

change of location - I work in an open pod kind of setting so there are plenty of distractions around me.  Sometimes I do much better if I can get alone. (and sometimes I can be distracted when I am all alone).

Different task - When I am having trouble sticking to one task, I might do better to switch to another.  Sometimes completion of a simpler task will give me a dose of motivation to tackle something else with a little more determination.

I wish you the best as you try to stay focused and on task!

Faithfulness at Work

What would faithfulness at work look like?

It would possibly not look like me typing this at work, but we will work on that later.

Faithfulness at work:

De-clutter and organize my workspace.  I know that  the clutter is a distraction and makes my job more difficult.  They often say a cluttered workspace leads to a cluttered mind.  I am not able to explain that to you, but it appears to me it is true.

Manage and keep before my eyes the number of tasks that I am currently supposed to be working on.

Increase effort and energy toward completing tasks that need to be done.

Be more disciplined to work when I am supposed to be working and find a way to control distractions.

Remind myself that good work leads to good consequences and that there is satisfaction in a task completed.

Give consideration to the question:  Am I doing my best? 

Acknowledge that 'doing my best' will have to be within the guidelines of work-life balance.

Look for ways to maintain a kind and cordial relationship with all fellow employees and bosses.

Be thankful that I have this job.

Pray that God will lead my effort at work, that He will accomplish His will through my motivation and faithfulness, that He will help me get the right information in this chapter of my life, and that He will prepare the perfect next chapter for me.

For one who struggles to have vision and goals, I know I need to keep asking for that next chapter, and believe that there is one.

Faithful to the Present

In yesterday's sermon I heard a challenge and a really good piece of advice:  Always be faithful to what you are doing presently, because you are creating a history, a track record.  When you get to the next chapter of your life, people who want to evaluate you will look back at that very same history.

This strikes me as being very effective in two ways:

First - there is an underlying assumption that there will be a next chapter.  Sometimes I feel like life is what it is - that what I have now is what I get and there is no reason to expect anything better.  Is that too negative for you to comprehend?  I have no trouble doing so.  But the idea that there will be a next chapter and that I can work now to impact that is very encouraging.

Secondly - when the charge to be faithful in what I am doing now is coupled with a concrete reason for doing so, it seems that a flash of motivation crossed my mind.  There was a desire, probably too brief, but it was there to evaluate my current performance and determine where I am not being faithful.

A follow-up discussion might be to think about what I am being faithful to, and how that impacts the outcome.

In the meantime, why don't we give some more thought to this charge to faithfulness.

Say Yes, If You Cannot Say No!

Sometimes we have trouble saying no.  An opportunity or temptation comes our way, and we are prone to give in to the temptation.  We may be saying 'No' because there is no established 'Yes'.

If we have a definite goal or standard that we want to achieve, we need to say 'Yes' to that good thing and have that resolve in our mind.  Then, when the 'No' temptation comes, we will be better able to stand strong.

Saying 'Yes' to one thing often means we are automatically saying 'No' to something else.

Examples?

If you have said 'Yes' to being fit and healthy, then you are well equipped to say 'No' to a night with a big bowl of ice cream in front of the TC.

If you are committed to being a virgin on your wedding day, that 'Yes' will strengthen your 'No' when you and your boyfriend end up alone.

Seems to me that this nugget might be helpful for me.  I just need to think about my 'Yes' choices.

Reference:  November 29, 2010 devotional from She Seeks

See Shannon's vlog response to this very issue.

Lack of Motivation

One area I struggle with is lack of motivation to do things.  This is more of an issue at home.  It is a strong, behavior controlling mindset.

First, you must understand that when I face this absence of desire and motivation to do anything, it has nothing to do with the weather.  Even the most beautifully sunny and pleasant day will cause me to feel no more motivation, even though my wife expects it to.

Part of the problem here could be my overall health.  I am overweight and primarily sedentary.  Therefore, I seldom feel high energy levels.  In addition, I sometimes feel just a little bit off, and that is sometimes worse on Saturday (the big work at home day).

Is it possible for motivation to show up?  Yes if I have a definite responsibility or deadline that I must meet, then once I get started, my motivation might increase and I will get the job done.  But, if there is no immediate deadline for completing various tasks, then it is not likely i will be breaking any records getting it done.

Thanks for reading.  By the way, I am looking for some helpful ideas for motivation.

Even More Foundation

There are plenty of differences between work and home, but there are also similarities.  I present the following from a work perspective, but some of it would apply just as well at home.

When I begin a new day, I have responsibilities, tasks, assignments, and expectations to fulfill.  Will I do them?  The answer depends on which fork in the road I take.

The good fork:

Approach the day with a positive attitude and perspective.  This is towards the tasks themselves, as well as the people I will interface with.

Consider what the goals are.  What will define a successful day?

Focus my thoughts and energy on reaching the goals.

Avoid distractions wherever possible.  Any distraction that merely consists of me choosing to do something could be avoided.  A distraction by someone else having a definite need is a different story.

When a thought or notion of procrastination is spotted (regardless of how it came to be), I need to replace it with a commitment to continue toward success.  A derailed train never reaches its destination.

The not so good fork:

Having wrong attitudes about the day before me.

Not having clear goals for the day.

Being distracted by any number of things that allow me to ignore my responsibilities, or to delay my work.

Being lazy or non-caring about the tasks that need to be done.

Having my focus on other things or other people.

Being critical of other people or blaming them for some situation in my life.


Obviously, the good fork is the only way to find success.

Two Different Places

While considering how I could Make It Better, I came to realize that my thoughts and attention are not always in the same place.  Maybe there are two different places.  Here is what I mean.

Many times throughout the day, and maybe quite often, my thoughts are extremely me-centered, in a simple kind of way.  It is easy to dwell on these things.

• What am I doing?
• What are other people doing?
• Do I like what I am doing?
• Do I need to do this now?
• Is it time to eat?
• Do I have anything to eat?
• Why am I cold or hot?
• Other people are noisy.
• Wonder what is new on drudgereport.com or my email accounts?
• Is the boss coming?
• Is it lunch time?
• Is it quitting time?

The other place is like this:

• What is my goal for today?
• What are the benefits of accomplishing that goal?
• Am I managing my time and schedule adequately?
• Will this approach look good to my colleagues and boss?
• Am I doing what the boss would expect of me?
• How can I improve on what I am doing?
• Have I considered the blessings of my job today?

 Can you see the difference?  I spend too much time on the top list, which does not help me be productive or responsible?

Where to Start?

When I created this blog and wrote the first posting, I had been struck with a relatively clear picture, or sense of what I wanted to do.  Since that posting, it has been interesting to see how muddled my thoughts can be.  The topic of self-improvement is broad, so there are various paths I can take.  This hesitation about which way to go and what I want to write about is not new.  It happens relatively often when I blog.

Here are a few of the factors that will influence my writing as I try to Make It Better:

As I write about solutions, I will balance the Christian perspective with the straightforward human perspective, for I am both a person and a Christian.

I will need to consider how specific I want to be with details of my life.

I will cover issues related to home, the work place and the market place.

I will ask questions of my readers.  For instance, now I am asking how you would approach something like this.  Thanks for your comments.

Dennis

Can I Make It Better?

Just suppose there are aspects of my life that are not how I think they should be, or how I want them to be.  There are plenty of reasons for why my life is what it is, and why I am the person I am.  But that is in the past.  Living in the present, I generally just accept things the way they are and plod through one day after another.  That can be done, and it may even have some benefits.  Sometimes, though, I have the insight to see that approach as selling life short.

So, I am thinking, that in many areas of my life, such as:

• personal life
• spiritual life
• life as a man
• marriage
• father
• employee

I can find some ways to Make It Better, and that is what I intend to do with the goal of achieving success.