doing your best

Getting the Job Done

Today as I made my way into work, the thoughts rolling through my head were about work ethics and being replaceable in the workplace.

I thought I might blog about those thoughts and then decided not to because I didn’t want to come across as being full of myself or anything like that. Later in the day, I was having a conversation with a co-worker and funny enough that the conversation should suddenly turn into the same topic that I was pondering earlier. We talked about our own work ethics and those of others along with the pros and cons of both.

My personal style of work is a competition with myself. Yeah I know it sounds funny but that’s just me. Every day …. ok maybe not EVERY day but most days I strive to out-do what I’ve already done. Always looking forward and working at making what I do the best. No matter the job… no matter the task.. I am out to “WOW” as many people as I can. If I can “WOW” someone then I feel good about my job, myself and whatever task it was that I had completed.

I’ve always been a people pleaser, so it makes sense that I work in this way. It’s really pretty selfish really … making others smile, making others feel good, and “Wowing” them .. makes ME feel good. It’s a high like no other and besides that the days are so much easier to get through. Liking what you do sure does make life easier to handle.

There are parts of my job I can’t stand, just like everyone else…. it’s not always roses and smiling faces. Sometimes the tasks seem impossible or just a big ol’ headache… but… being the positive outlooker that I am, I take on each task hoping for the best and striving to be better each and every day.

Let’s face it .. everyone is replaceable when it comes to the work force. At the end of the day, there will always be someone out there to replace you as soon as the opportunity arises. My goal is to be that person that does such a great job.. going above and beyond the duty at hand to shine .. that when I am gone.. it will be a noticeable difference.  Sure, I can be replaced. Just about anyone could do what I do.. but … can or will they do it as good as I have???

I received a great compliment today. An agent said to me that the real benefit to being with our company was having access to me. 😀 Whew.. that means I’m doing my job! And that’s just it … I have set my goal to not only doing my job but also doing it well.. as well as I possibly can. No matter what anyone else thinks or feels, at the end of the day I feel good about the work that I have done. I am able to rest easy knowing I stepped outside the easy way out by just doing what was needed to get the job done, but also by going that extra mile and putting in extra effort just because that’s who I am.

I’ll leave you with a great quote: “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” Henry Ward Beecher

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Passion!

Heavy sigh .. and not in the way that you might think a heavy sigh would go with the topic today…  This heavy sigh is in frustration.

How do you get people passionate about what they do?

How do you get people to care about their own way of business… ?

HOW HOW HOW??????

No matter what you do .. do it well .. do it with care and do it with pride.

It doesn’t matter your part in the world… waitress, business man, company owner, delivery person, receptionist or store clerk…. what matters is how you do your job.

It may not be your dream job … but it’s your job …. do it with passion, pride and care… you may not be in the happiest place doing the best of jobs but your attitude toward what you do makes all the difference in the world.. not only to you but to those around you as well.

It feels to me that for the most part .. getting others passionate about what they do is like trying to light wet firewood … soaking wet firewood!

I suppose it’s probably not my job to get others passionate about what they do … but it frustrates me to see people not taking care and pride in their own jobs.

If you don’t like what you do .. change it…  I know .. its not always that easy … but if you don’t even try to change it .. its not going to change on its own.. and in the mean time .. find something in what you are doing that you DO like and focus on that .. and if nothing else just take pride in doing a job well done..

Even if you are a file clerk .. you can be the best damn file clerk that office has ever seen! or best receptionist, storage clerk, maintenance person, delivery tech, computer tech, support staff, cook, cleaner, sales person, etc. You are limited but none other than yourself.

Ok .. that’s my gripe of the day … sorry for going off on a tangent…. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH .. whew.. ok I feel better now!

Many Blessings for a beautiful day,
Raventalker

P.S.
I have to add a personal experience here:

years ago I worked at a place that at first I liked and then because I wouldn’t follow the manager around like trained dog I was put on the blacklist and made to feel bad every day … made  to have lunch alone instead of in the group with everyone else.. made to be the one to go fetch things from the storage building from hell .. and just made to feel inferior every day.

What did I do about it?
I made sure I was best damn employee that company had ever seen .. making myself so valuable that once I was gone I would without doubt be missed! I managed a system for the storgage building from hell that only I knew.. so again when I was able to leave .. they would be lost. I took it upon myself to do the best of my ability and I challenged myself daily to out do myself .. and this took the focus off how others were trying to make me feel and I felt pride in myself for a job well done and for knowing that what I was doing was to the very best of my ability. I took the power out of their hands and put it in my own .. I was determined to do well despite the things they were trying to do to make me feel bad.

To this day .. I still smile..  Months after I left I went back to visit a few friends and it was nice seeing a huge mountain of stuff that needed to be done and wasn’t because I was gone.. hahahahahahahaha THAT WAS THE BEST!

Do your best no matter what others are doing …. just do your own personal best and take joy from knowing that you have done exactly that.