We have a monthly meeting at work and often our supervisor will challenge us with a question or two to help us grow in our walk in life and work. This week we were asked to give an example of a good day and a bad day at work.
I pondered this good day / bad day and I wasn’t sure if it meant the whole day had to be a good day or a bad day and after contemplating it for awhile I’m not sure that I could pinpoint an entire day that was totally good or totally bad. I know how ill-equipped I am at making the best of a day and nearly every morning in my quiet/journaling time I ask God to equip and empower me to do what is set before me that day in ways that will please him and allow me to accomplish what has been set before me. This has been especially true since I’ve started my new job as what I’m doing is so different from what I’ve been doing (from a career standpoint) for the past several years. I know that if I try to take the reigns by myself that inevitable disaster probably lies around the corner and so I look to God for guidance.
Good as that may sound I do have issues. Imagine that! Perfectionism and the need to please and or be accepted often gets in the way. These get particularly ugly when I find my (selfish – self) trying to perfect or do well the things that God has not so necessarily gifted me in doing. If I were to track it, I would probably find that some of my time is spent on trying to do well things that I don’t necessarily like nor do well because I don’t want to disappoint or let anyone down.
Fixing things is not my forte. Just ask my wife. I didn't even own a hammer until about 9 years ago. I dance around having to fix anything be it at work or at home. But because I don’t want to disappoint, I often will find myself, there’s no better way to say this but backing down, and trying to do whatever it is that needs to be done. I am however working on this downfall and trying to find more proactive ways in which to address it.
All this being said, I do have good days at work. When I can help someone accomplish a task they’re trying to complete, or make someone’s day easier by a service I’ve provided them, or I’ve “conquered” a major project, it’s a good day. However weaved within those good days can be bad days, especially when I’ve tried to take control over what God has planned for me or if I’m forcing myself like a square peg into a round hole to do something that I’m not especially good at doing. Ironically, just this morning I happened to look at the new watch I just bought while I was on vacation last week. I'm always on the look out for unique watches. This particular watch is a black square with a slightly offset round face. It occurred to me that, hmmm, a daily reminder right on my wrist, that I need to focus on fitting into the places where God has created me to excel and not be consumed by the things that someone else may be better suited to do. Not that those situations don’t provide for a great learning experience, but they can also lead to bad spots in a good day.
Bad spots in a good day also are elevated, like cream to the top, when I perceive that I’ve let someone down because of a situation that could have been handled better. There are times when things are out of my realm of knowledge that may cause the outcome be less than desired. Ignorance is no excuse, but I have to learn to make those growing experiences instead of failures. I think someone said if you don’t fail you can’t learn.
Good days and bad days at work are inevitable. What I choose to do with them can make all the difference.
I pondered this good day / bad day and I wasn’t sure if it meant the whole day had to be a good day or a bad day and after contemplating it for awhile I’m not sure that I could pinpoint an entire day that was totally good or totally bad. I know how ill-equipped I am at making the best of a day and nearly every morning in my quiet/journaling time I ask God to equip and empower me to do what is set before me that day in ways that will please him and allow me to accomplish what has been set before me. This has been especially true since I’ve started my new job as what I’m doing is so different from what I’ve been doing (from a career standpoint) for the past several years. I know that if I try to take the reigns by myself that inevitable disaster probably lies around the corner and so I look to God for guidance.
Good as that may sound I do have issues. Imagine that! Perfectionism and the need to please and or be accepted often gets in the way. These get particularly ugly when I find my (selfish – self) trying to perfect or do well the things that God has not so necessarily gifted me in doing. If I were to track it, I would probably find that some of my time is spent on trying to do well things that I don’t necessarily like nor do well because I don’t want to disappoint or let anyone down.
Fixing things is not my forte. Just ask my wife. I didn't even own a hammer until about 9 years ago. I dance around having to fix anything be it at work or at home. But because I don’t want to disappoint, I often will find myself, there’s no better way to say this but backing down, and trying to do whatever it is that needs to be done. I am however working on this downfall and trying to find more proactive ways in which to address it.
All this being said, I do have good days at work. When I can help someone accomplish a task they’re trying to complete, or make someone’s day easier by a service I’ve provided them, or I’ve “conquered” a major project, it’s a good day. However weaved within those good days can be bad days, especially when I’ve tried to take control over what God has planned for me or if I’m forcing myself like a square peg into a round hole to do something that I’m not especially good at doing. Ironically, just this morning I happened to look at the new watch I just bought while I was on vacation last week. I'm always on the look out for unique watches. This particular watch is a black square with a slightly offset round face. It occurred to me that, hmmm, a daily reminder right on my wrist, that I need to focus on fitting into the places where God has created me to excel and not be consumed by the things that someone else may be better suited to do. Not that those situations don’t provide for a great learning experience, but they can also lead to bad spots in a good day.
Bad spots in a good day also are elevated, like cream to the top, when I perceive that I’ve let someone down because of a situation that could have been handled better. There are times when things are out of my realm of knowledge that may cause the outcome be less than desired. Ignorance is no excuse, but I have to learn to make those growing experiences instead of failures. I think someone said if you don’t fail you can’t learn.
Good days and bad days at work are inevitable. What I choose to do with them can make all the difference.
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