Lately, I have had to ask myself if I'm too serious. Am I being too neurotically "on top of things" at work? Have I pondered a 'less than ideal' situation too much and over-complicated the problem? Is it possible I take on social hiccups as a cause that doesn't necessarily deserve so much attention?
It might be a
By taking on these types of challenges I automatically qualify for "more serious" personality syndrome, I suppose. But the more that Hubs and I discuss spiritual and religious ideals and what we believe, the more I am certain that we aren't here on Earth to simply enjoy it and to be seeking pleasure. At my brother's wedding this past weekend, the pastor even mentioned his pondering conclusion on "Is life to be enjoyed, or endured?" It was...both.
I could spin this Get Write Wednesday into a million different directions. We could talk parenting, we could discuss career and corporate behavior, we could discuss race or politics or religion. I will spare you all that today. Today, I just want to, at a high level, ponder the simple idea of TAKING ACTION. More specifically why I choose to take action and my concern for those who never seem to find a reason to do so.
More and more often, I keep repeating the idea (to myself and others) "Wouldn't they appreciate the fact that you told them your concerns? If they seek you out to talk through their issues, I find it perfectly acceptable to ask if you can provide honest feedback." And when I say honest, I really mean extreme clarity and poignant candidness but with tactfulness that not all of us possess. Some people just don't have good delivery. I get that. But do we always need good delivery when we know the person delivering the thoughts are sincere in their message?
While pondering what to blog and the fact I knew I wanted to blog about "TAKING ACTION", this quote came across my Twitter feed.
"My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better." - Steve Jobs
What if we all took this approach? What if we stop accepting mediocrity in others just because they do? We can't change others and we can't ask them to stand up and lead by example. But when they continue being pleasure seeking mutes, we don't have to be mute ourselves.
When I went to verify my Twitter quote was indeed a Jobs quote, I found another interesting article about Why You're Not a Leader. I think this article is powerful far beyond the corporate world. Can't we all strive to be leaders of our families, communities and social circles? I could take this article and tear it up and churn out a different write-up for everyday life and less about the work place. Maybe then, we could all make more sense of leading with purpose.
My favorites:
3. You don’t care: Indifference is a characteristic not well suited to leadership. You simply cannot be a leader if you don’t care about those you lead. The real test of any leader is whether or not those they lead are better off for being led by them.
I’m often asked what it takes to get to the top – it’s as if people want an add water and mix recipe for leadership. While there are many paths to leadership, they’re certainly not all created equal. Perhaps a more telling issue in today’s world is many of those desiring to get ahead, have no desire to help others get ahead.
Ah, I love this post. I'm such a "take action" oriented person.
ReplyDeleteAs for indifference...I once heard some quote that indifference is worse than hatred, for indifference is the lack of giving a s*it (or something like that)
And definitely, I would rather help others succeed than succeed myself I think. Success as the world defines is just something I'm not sure I'm all that interested anymore. Success in the spiritual realm -- that is what I aspire to and my belief system eschews those who succeed as the world defines it. But it's a struggle, because as you know, the material rewards of this world sure do make life more comfy!! :)