Be Grateful for Work

 

Someone congratulated me today. I’ve been with the same company for 13 years this month. They must have scrolled through a notification for the update. On LinkedIn no doubt, the social media page with spiffed up profiles (Oh he's wearing a tie!) where we're all fluent in business jargon. Nothing wrong with it of course; those anniversaries are consistent reminders of steady progress. But depending on your idea of the professional choices you’ve made it might leave a sour taste. Don’t let it. 

 There are two ways to look at work anniversaries. One, complain that life is unfair and your real gifts are being underutilized. Two, be thankful that in a time when a lot of Americans see their jobs disappear, yours is still here. I’m still working, making money, saving and paying bills. I’m still learning new ways to bring business to my store. I’m still improving old methods and sharpening up sloppy habits that cut into my performance. I’m still learning to adjust to the realities of Covid and get through the day without cursing the restrictions, most of the time.

Work anniversaries can be depressing if your vision is too narrow. Like looking through the wide end of the telescope, it appears small and insignificant. We miss a lot of personal and professional development along the periphery when we stare into the glass with an intense focus. Why do we do this? Why do we focus so hard on the faraway, the distant and the exotic? Probably because reliable, steady work habits aren’t the stuff of Champaign toasts and fancy dinners. There is no adventure in the consistent, no legend in the ordinary. There is no party for the reliable.

Personal growth and maturity come from consistency whether at work or in the gym. Feelings don’t matter. If there is one thing I’ve picked up it’s that habits breed habits. It works for positives and negatives. It’s that inner voice telling you that your regular, boring habits aren’t leading to anything better. But if the slow churn of life creates calluses for the next phase you’ll appreciate the pain. For a lot of us that means promotions and more money. It could mean a new business opportunity or the chance to go it alone and self-employ with all the risk and rewards.

We all love the consummate winner. Tom Brady and Michael Jordan made it look easy but their drive to win was built by consistent habits and boring daily churn. We all know this right? Competitors understand how good habits over long periods of time lead to success. But we need to hear it repeated until the notion of success as work sticks to us like lint on a wool jacket. If we don’t evaluate our lives periodically we risk losing our passion for better. Evaluation gets us back to goal seeking. Keep asking yourself what that looks like. Keep redirecting and trying new things.

I guess that’s the real value of a work anniversary, the ability to self-evaluate. You might not like what you see at first. But by now you’ve probably discovered a few things about yourself that should help with the directional goals. If you hate the idea of talking to customers on any level, stay out of the service industry PLEASE! Maybe you’re a competent teacher. You’re patient with tech dopes like me, go with that.  There are so many ways to make money aside from punching a clock. Teach an online class, write marketing pitches, answer phones and sell vacations. These are all ways to start from home.

Somewhere along the way we made “work” into something otherworldly—a journey toward self-fulfillment and ideal scenarios. That’s a heavy load to bear for any career, and it’s terribly un-realistic. I’m not sure where it came from but I always had a dose of it as well. Thankfully “work” sorted me out.     

The telescope is for dreaming. It’s not detrimental to look up to the stars unless our work ethic is nonexistent. But we need to pull back from the eyeglass on occasion and see our own growth. Look at what’s around you that needs attention before squinting one eye and star gazing. Develop those skills and gifts that are in front of you first, then move on. The good news is that progress isn’t a straight line up and to the right for anyone. We all need to grind a little.

 We all need to feel earned success from working away in obscurity for a while.

So don’t complain about the trials or the unfairness or the difficulty. It’s necessary for everyone. Celebrate the long and short term successes. Remember the sacrifices and the victories, no matter how small. 

When someone congratulates you for 13 years with the same company, smile and say “Has it been that long?”