Tag: jobs

Working for a living. Just about all of us have to do it. I was very fortunate to be able to stay at home with our five children for 20+ years…but that meant that my husband was gone…working for a living.

Some people are able to work at a job or profession that they love. But a very high percentage have to just work, and that makes life not so pleasant at times. So what can you do to still live your life and enjoy it, in spite of having to be gone for several hours out of every day?

You can be the answer.

Yes,  most of the time, you can control your environment and make it as pleasant or as miserable as you want. And I really do think this applies to many circumstances in life. And as a disclaimer, I’m not talking about abusive relationships here. There are times in your personal life and your work place it is just best to leave the situation, but that is for another post.

I’m digging out of the muddle of being at work for the past week or so. Doing double shifts, covering for others, as have many at my place of employment. It seems to be the same everywhere and it is becoming very discouraging. People don’t want to work, they want a paycheck. So here is a quick run-down of what it means to have a job.

Work when you are scheduled to work. If you have a job, know what your schedule is and be there, every time.

Report for work on time. Not five, ten, etc. minutes late. Plan your day to be there, where you are supposed to be, where you are being paid to be.

Do your work. All of it, everyday and in a timely manner. Don’t take the easy road, wasting time, leaving stuff for others to finish. Find out how something is supposed to be done, and do it, the correct way, every time.

Put the phone away. You are being paid to work, not talk or text. Have some integrity and do what you are being paid for.

Be considerate of others. This is the big one. If you are considerate of others, then you will follow all of the above. People matter, and when you follow the guidelines I’ve given, you show that others matter to you. When you don’t follow them, you show that you care for no one other than yourself.

For me, this post is a ‘duh’ moment. What I’ve said is not difficult to follow and just common courtesy. It was something that people always did when they had a job. You weren’t entitled to be paid without working for it. And you were thankful to be paid and you wanted to be a good employee. The people that didn’t care were few and far between. Now they are the majority, and it makes it very hard on the rest of the people that still do care, and want to do a good job.

You can be the answer.

Strive to be the employee and the co-worker that others really appreciate, and want to be around. You change your working environment for the better. You be the answer to the problems, not another problem.

Yes, most of us are going to have to work for a living. But you can make  a difference in how those hours are spent, and you can make them count for good. You can be a benefit to those around you.