Humility

One of the most difficult, yet one of the most important qualities to practice in a job (or really, any situation), is humility. What does practicing humility look like?

Humility is accepting that I am one among many and I am here to serve others around me. It is the antidote to pride and the attitude of “I’m better than this.”

 Jobs come with many different tasks and responsibilities. Some of those tasks are not fun or what you’d like to be spending your time on. We can spend our time daydreaming that our job was different, or that someone else could be doing these tasks. Or, we can accept that we are here for this job and we are here to perform.

We perform by doing our job without complaining. We accomplish these tasks and see how we can improve the process. We connect with our co-workers to see how we can support one another in similar tasks. We ask our boss for feedback and may possibly present a plan for change if we have carefully thought it out.

Our job is to do our job. We have a choice in our perspectives. Our perspectives shape our attitudes. If we begin with a perspective of humility, our attitudes shift from “I deserve” to “I serve”. As we see our jobs as places where we can serve others, we can be successful anywhere.

Good Practice:

1. Think about one job task that you don’t enjoy doing.
2. Visualize how it would change if you acted as if you really enjoyed doing it. What kind of perspective shift and attitude would that require?
3. Write down ways that you are serving others or your organization by doing this task.
4. Complete the task while practicing your new ways of thinking.

Welcome!

Do you have a job? Are you planning on getting a job? Have you ever worked in a job? If so, this site is for you.

Most of us have to work in order to keep a roof over our heads or food on our plates. Some of us are privileged enough to get an education that allows us to work in a field we are skilled in. Others of us are in a field we loved at first, and then realized it wasn't for us. Plenty of us just have jobs in order to survive, regardless of education or interest.

I am grateful for my education, I am grateful I have a job. My challenge was that due to my education  (and other personality traits) I thought I was better than my job and the tasks required of me. Over the course of five years, I had several managers talk with me about being more pro-active in helping others and consistent in my attitude.

Last year, I had a wake up call. I was given the choice to change myself, or to change jobs (not so voluntarily). As a result, I wanted to take positive action, learn from my mistakes and change my behavior. This was NOT an overnight practice, and took time.

This blog is a series of lessons that I have learned, and am learning. I hope it inspires young professionals, mid-career employees, and any person who experiences the ups and downs in the workplace.

Are you ready? Let's begin.