Two masters pt1

A couple of times, I have mentioned that I see myself as a highly spiritual being. For the past decade or two, though, I haven't been a very religious person. But, from time to time, things bubble up from the past when I was.

Sometimes it is ethics or ideals ingrained at a young age. Other times it is a few words of common wisdom from the long remembered past. This particular thing that I want to talk about is a biblical quote from when I was a practicing Jehovah's Witness(No, I did not ever get it right)

According to Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

While this verse is specifically talking about God and money, it is true with all things. I don't think that the love and hate part are really true. I think you could love one and be kind of neutral towards the other or love both, just one a little more than the other, like Ruffles vs Fritos. However, there can not be two number ones. You can work towards two separate goals, but when a conflict of interest occurs you must pick one over the other. And when forced to choose, you show others which is more important to you based on which one you pick.  

Within ourselves, we can want one thing in our heart and another with our minds, but if the two things are in different directions we need to decide which one matters more to us or we will never, can never be happy. For example, if in your heart you really want to settle down and start a family, and in your mind you decide that you are better off alone, how do you make both happen? You really can't. Only one or the other is possible. You can't have both and need to choose between them and then dedicate yourself to whichever goal you choose.

At your place of work, you can do things your way or you can do things your boss's way. Unless the two ways are the same you cannot do both. Choosing which way to do things at work should be easy. You are being paid to do what it is that the boss says regardless of what you think is right or how you think things should be done. It is sort of the definition of having a job. You get paid to do what it is that your supervisor tells you to do.

At home, in a lot of homes, there is a clear person in charge, the patriarch, matriarch or alpha. In such places one person's word is law and in order to maintain harmony all others must comply with that law. While everyone follows along and does as they are told things run smoothly. When people decide to go against the established rules punishment and or discipline are meted out until everyone gets with the program again. 

Money creates boredom

I was having this conversation with someone online the other day and he said something that I found pretty difficult to believe. Somehow the conversation turned to wealth. The gentleman that I was talking to asserted very strongly that if the average person became rich, they would become bored after only a few months if they didn't have to work. He made it very clear that he would feel that way personally, but that he wasn't talking about just himself. It was his belief that pretty much everyone would want to go back to work within a year or two.

So, I thought about what an "average" person's life is like. You are startled out of a sound sleep by the clanging and clamoring of an alarm clock, cursing the person who set up this cruel torture device, only to remember that it was you. Still bleary eyed, you stumble into the shower cursing alternately as it starts out too cold and then gets too hot for comfort.

After the ritual dowsing of water and whatever other super secret things you do in the bathroom, you emerge covered in different, clean scents and dress for the day. You pour yourself a "cup of ambition", as Dolly Parton would say, and head out into gridlock on your way to the cubicle farm.

There are a few close calls, but you arrive safely at work. Then a whole new set of trials and tribulations awaits you, customer complaints, bosses demanding impossible things by the day before yesterday and other such pleasantries. Eventually, the work day ends and you head back out into the concrete jungle for your homeward journey.

When you do finally arrive home, frustrated and exhausted, often you find that you really just want to call it a day and hope tomorrow is better. Before that though there is some time in front of the television and maybe even some dinner.

If you are single, it ends there. However, if you are married, have children or both, there is so much more in between each other little detail of your day and so much less time to do it. You love your family and desperately want to spend more time with them but the focus and attention that you give to them takes away from other things that are nearly, if not just as important as they are and you find yourself being stretched too thin with no relief in sight.

Well, there is that one to two weeks a year that you shut out work and all the frustrating exhausting things that drive you nuts the rest of the time. That two percent of the year you relax and unwind. You let it all go and recharge your batteries so to speak.

And that is where my side of the discussion comes in. What if you could afford to stretch that two week vacation into a lifetime of no more alarm clocks? What would it be like,  if you could wake up whenever and wherever you wanted to, refreshed because you actually got enough sleep?

Imagine with me. If you wanted to, you could hang out with the kids watching television and playing video games all day. You could go anywhere or do anything that you want. Go water skiing, travel around the world, backpack through the Appalachians, visit every theme park on the planet. Take your spouse to Rome, Paris, or Tahiti. Why pick one? Do them all. Turn that once per month hobby into a once per day thing. Pick up some new hobbies.

In my personal life, I have quite a bit of free time and I don't ever get bored. What limits me from doing a great many more things is not having the funds to do so. If there was more money available there would be more options, more things to do. Unless one is limited in imagination how can more options lead to less fun?

The truth behind the excuse pt2

The truth is you always have a choice.You have a choice or even multiple choices, in every single circumstance. If a man holds you up at gunpoint and gives you the option of losing your gp or your hp(gamer humor), he isn't forcing you to give him your money. You are free to ignore him, his threat and his gun. If you do, you stand a very good chance of getting shot. Perhaps you could struggle with him, get the gun and shoot him instead, chase him off or tell him to give up his money.

Most people, being intimidated by the person wielding the gun, choose to give the thief their money. They do not want to deal with the potential consequences of defying the person with the gun. It is easier to lie to themselves and everyone else and say that they were forced to give up their money.

Back to the examples above. You did forget to take the trash out. But it was only because you didn't want to do it in the first place. It was not important to you. Regarding the audition, you kept the agreement because you didn't want to anger your spouse or disappoint your child. Plus if you hadn't kept it, it would be your fault if your kid didn't make it into that prestigious school. Unlike the first example, there were real consequences here.

You made a conscious choice. You wanted your friends upset at you more than you wanted your immediate family displeased with you. If that were not true, you would have blown them off instead of your friends. Or course, you didn't really "want" your friends mad at you, but you decided one or the other was happening and picked which one it would be.

Just because we are not pleased with the consequences that a choice we could make are likely to cause, it does not mean that we do not have a choice, that that choices is not an option. It is a choice, just one we are not likely to take. Acknowledging this is an enormous part of being a mature responsible adult and removes the possibility of you being a victim.

We, as people, tend  to make the choices that will impact us in the least negative way possible.

The responsible person will state that there are no other good options. The difference is the victim will state that there are no other options.

Most people go to work every day that they do because they want to. Though it sounds funny that is the real truth. But, if you ask them if they want to go to work, the majority of them will, in fact, tell you that they do not. They would rather stay home and sleep in, play video games or spend time with their kids. When faced with the opportunity to go to work or do one of those other things, given the choice of just one over the other, very few would choose to go to work.

If that is true, why aren't there more empty chairs at the office every day? Because things are never that simple. Without money coming in we would lose our homes our cars and perhaps even our families. We work because we would rather have the results of working than the results of not working. In other words we work because we want to.

There is a consequence for everything we do or don't do. When deciding whether or not to do something we fit all the variables we are aware of into an equation and decide whether doing or not doing that thing will produce the result we want or will avoid the result we don't want. Then we act accordingly.

What it all boils down to is, every single thing that we do, we do because we want to. Every single thing that we do not do, we do not do because we do not want to. Any other explanation is a lie.

Stress. Confusion. Chaos. Rushing. Mistakes. Or be early

Back in 2001, I used to do telephone technical support for a living. I worked for the company that handled all of the support calls for Gateway computers. To me, it was very rewarding work. I enjoy being able to provide a useful service to others and got great pleasure out of being able to talk people through the process of troubleshooting and when necessary replacing hardware.

The shifts were thirteen hours long and we worked 3.5 days a week. The people working the early part of the week got the early part of the half day and those working the latter half of the week got the second half of the split day. The changeover was often stressful for many because there was really no overlap. One shift ended exactly when the next shift was supposed to start. If the second shift person was late showing up, the first person didn't get to go home on time. We were "required" to show up for our shift fifteen minutes before it started, but very few people ever did.

Even on the other days of the week it was often chaotic, with people showing up at the last possible minute, or worse yet ten or more minutes late. There was nearly always tons of stress and frantic activity with people constantly rushing around. Frequently there were accidents in our parking lot or on the streets within just a couple of blocks of the office.

People that are always in a rush, make more mistakes. They tend to get in more accidents, are more stressed out and generally have a hard time handling many of the simplest things. I don't believe in rushing for anything, unless it is a real and absolute emergency. Things like blood, fire, and birth, those are reasons to rush. Anything else is just not worth the trouble overall.

Does this mean that I was one of those people that was always late, causing stress and chaos for myself and others? On the contrary, I would always show up for my shift one hour early. I am not talking about getting up and getting ready to go to work an hour before I had to be there. And I am not talking about leaving my house and going to pick up my buddy that worked with me an hour before my shift started. I mean I managed my time in such a way that I arrived at my job one hour before my shift started every single day that I worked, like clockwork,

In eighteen months, I was never late once. My partner on the other side of the week was always relieved to see me because whoever it was knew they would get to home on time. My boss was happy because she never had to wonder if I was going to show up on time. The other employees on my team knew they could always count on me to be there and ready to rock when our shift started.

There was always time for me to get my computer set up, open up all the browsers that I needed for all the separate screens of data I needed access to, plenty of time to make sure all our databases were working. I had time to check the stats for our call center to see how busy it had been or was expected to be. There was more than enough time to make sure I had a drink and a snack at my desk for when I got hungry or thirsty during the day. All necessary last minute bathroom functions could be handled.

In short, because of my habit of arriving much earlier than I was required to or absolutely needed to, while others around my were floundering around in a sea of chaos, I was able to remain calm and relaxed and handle things clearly and concisely. You could make up whatever excuses you want to about why getting to work an hour early for your shift doesn't or couldn't work, but who would you rather be more like? Me calm, peaceful and relaxed, or all the other people frantically scrambling and rushing around, nervous and stressed out? It is your choice.

Are we training our kids to become weaker?

Have you ever heard some old timer make some crazy claim about how things were in the old days? They say things like, back in my day, there was no school bus. We had to walk. Everyday. Through the sleet and the snow. Five miles. Up hill. Both ways.

That last part is of course ridiculous. There's no way it could be uphill both ways unless the school building physically moved while you were in it, or your house did. At least half of the trip was easy because it was mostly downhill and precipitation doesn't fall from the sky EVERY day. While it is an exaggeration. It does go to show that we do take a lot of things for granted. Life did used to be harder without all of our modern conveniences.

And George Carlin, rest his soul, used to say we were turning our nation into a bunch of wimps(his word was less kid friendly) due to preemptively rescuing our loved ones from bad situations. He would say, in the old days, parents would purposely bring their healthy kids in contact with sick ones that way they could get sick and their immune systems could get stronger. Kids would learn how to defend themselves, either diplomatically or physically by getting into fights. Now we break things up before they get that far and kids never learn to deal with these situations.

I used to think that what he was saying was funny, but nonsense. But, now, I wonder. When it comes to working, I have seen evidence of the current generation being a whole lot more fragile than the previous one was. While we don't associate with him anymore, we used to know this kid. He was kinda young, I think maybe twenty at the time. He still lived at home with his parents. And he used to come home from his job and complain to one of us that because his manager was working that day he had to stay on his feet for half of his entire shift. He was in so much pain and he suffered for soooo long!

Was he busting his back working construction or maybe sweating it out in the hot Florida sun as a roofer? Nope. He was busy peddling novelty items at Spencer's, in the local mall. And the best part? Was he working for 18hours? 16? 12 maybe? None of the above. His shift was four hours. He was complaining about his body being beaten up over having to stand for a grand total of two hours.

We currently live with another youngster who has been part of the work force for about ten years now. But for around seven of those years he has only worked four to five hours at a time. He has just started getting longer shifts, like eight to nine hours and he has spent some time going on and on about how much time he spends on his feet, about how his back hurts and he is working all these long hours.

Most of the rest of us living in the house together have at one time or another worked a great deal longer than that and quite often doing real back breaking work. To most of us eight hours is a short shift.

When I was around the age of the guys I've mentioned here, I worked construction eighteen hours a day, six days a week, for six months. My back and feet and leg muscles used to hurt so much, I would have to take pain medication just so that I could relax enough to fall asleep, in order to get up and start it all over the next day.  Four of us used to do telephone technical support for thirteen and a half hours a day, three to five days a week(depending on overtime). During several of the hurricanes that we have had down here in Florida, a couple of us have worked more than twenty four hours with no breaks. So, we really have no sympathy for the newer generation of workers

If George Carlin and the other old timers that say we are destroying our country by coddling ourselves are wrong, then why is it that many of us that have been part of the work force for ten years or less seem to find actual labor so much harder than those of us that have been around for so much longer?

How does one stick to the plan?

In order to get what we want out of life we need a plan. We get to look at what we have compare it to what we want and then build an action plan, a bridge, if you will, between the two. It starts out as just an outline. But, once this is done we can flesh it out into a specific step by step manual to get from where we are to where we want to be.

Now assuming we follow this blueprint, we will eventually get to where it is that we want to be. It may take us years though. Life is chock full of distractions, shiny things, bells and whistles that tend to pull our minds away from the important hard work that we need to do if we are ever to truly succeed. So, how do we keep ourselves motivated to stay on track and work the plan?

Living our vision is one way. Treat the future as if it is already here. Imagine what life will be like once all the pieces of the puzzle have been fitted into place where they belong. Live with the joy and gratitude of your success, even though it is not yet yours. Constantly remind yourself of the fruits of your labor even though the tree is not ripe yet. You have set things in motion and the harvest will come.

For some that alone is enough. For others who don't understand that line of reasoning or who just need more than promises of the future, there is another way. As they say, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So how to handle this? I have a story that illustrates it rather well I think.

 A couple of decades ago I took Tae Kwon Do. The school that I went to was pretty big. There were new people joining all the time and something was constantly going on. At every class they gave out certificates and they gave them out for a variety of things, most of which, at the time, I thought were pretty frivolous. There were certificates for the most improvement over the last month, for who was the most energetic, who kicked the highest, most impressive ki shout, for successful board breaking and highest kicks. There was a certificate for just about every single thing that got done in class.

Also the belt system at this school was pretty intricate. There were I think nine belts between white and black and each had between 2 and 7 stripes with 5 to 6 being the average. Now, if you don't know, stripes are kind of an intermediate point between one belt and another. They mark you as past beginner at that belt level but not yet having mastered all you need to know. A lot of schools don't use the stripe system at all. Even the ones that do usually only have one or two stripes between belts.

But between certificates, stripes and several other things that this school did, each student hardly ever went more than a week or two without some pretty major recognition. It seemed like everyone was constantly being rewarded for whatever it was they did, no matter how small.

At the time, I thought it was pretty stupid. I mean if people are doing exactly what it is that is expected of them why are they being rewarded? Shouldn't things like that be reserved for people that are going above and beyond what is required and expected?

I didn't see, at the time, what was really happening. The goal of becoming a black belt was years away for any new people just coming to class. Even going from one belt to another was a process that took weeks if not months of hard work. All the little back patting and mini rewards kept people motivated and on track. It kept them coming back week after week until they actually achieved the ultimate goal.

You can use the same tools with the action plan for your life. Go over the blueprint for your life. . Think of the major accomplishments in your blueprint as belt levels, each one signifying a huge step towards the achievements of your goals. At each one of these points set up a reward for yourself, some way of congratulating yourself and motivating you to continue on the path. Split each "belt" into "stripes" and at each minor accomplishment have some lesser reward, to show that the work is all worth it and that you are on track. And regularly give yourself "certificates" or little pats on the back every few days.

None of these rewards need to be lavish or exorbitant, but they should be things that you truly enjoy. They are things that you deserve for working towards your long term goals. If you treat following the path towards your goals as an enjoyable service with rewards all along the path, holding out until the final goal has been reached will be something that you love doing, something that you want, rather than something you are forcing yourself to do. The bells and whistles will not be shiny or loud. The distractions will not pull you away.

Stay the course. Have the life you really want.

Why are you where you are?

Our parents say it to us all the time as we  are growing up. Its in movies and books everywhere. They say it in most commencement speeches. You can be anything you want to be. You can go anywhere you want to go. You can do anything you want to do. The sky is the limit, anything you set your mind to you can accomplish.

Those words aren't just empty platitudes. They are truth itself. Yet, how many of us are who we really want to be, are where we want to be and do what it is that we want to do? Very few, if any. There lies before us a world of infinite possibilities, countless open doors. Why do we not simply walk through them and change our lives forever, for the better?

Most of our lives are filled with other people's junk. Things that we really have no interest in and really don't know what to do with. There are the desires of our parents, pushing us towards the lives they either have or weren't able to have. There's our well meaning but often misinformed friends guiding us towards their idea of a perfect life. Teachers, guidance counselors, other family members all telling us what we should do and filling our lives with the things that they want for us. Many of those things aren't ever going to work for us, even though they come with the greatest love and best intentions. But, from the ideas that will work for us why can't we cobble together the perfect life from the bits and pieces of all the things they shove our way?

We try. We take the parts that seem like good ideas and we make them part of our life, but more often than not we aren't happy with the results. Why is this? Each of these people that love and care about us are sharing with us their vision of who we are and who we could be. The ideas and things that they suggest would work better if we were exactly who they envisioned. But we are not the people that our friends and family see us as. It simply isn't possible, because no two people see us exactly the same way

If we know thirty different people there are thirty different points of view on who and what we are. Piecing together a life from these different ideas would be like taking thirty different clips from thirty different movies about thirty different people and attempting to make one two hour movie out of the clips. It's probably doable it just wouldn't make any sense.

Some of the ideas and thoughts that our loved ones have of us are mutually exclusive, they can't exist within the same person. Some are ways that we could be but aren't. Others are things that at one time were true but aren't anymore.

So how do we get to be who it is that we want to be, live where we want to live and do what we want to do? There are clues in some sayings and cliches that have been around for centuries. Fortune favors the bold. God helps those who help themselves. The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

That's right. It isn't for anyone else to tell you what you want or what it is going to take to get it. In order to get what you want out of life, you get to decide, who you want to be, where you want to go, and what you want to do. Have a clear vision of exactly what your life will look like when these things are a part of your life. Search your life from the bottom up and discard all the thoughts, feelings and ideas that are holding you back, no matter who or where they come from. 

You are where you are either because it is where you have decided to be or because it is where you let others decide for you to be. Take back the reins. Direct the movie you want to see. It is only your vision that can get you where you want to be, only your plans, ideas and work that will make it happen.

Help see the message gets delivered

I have a powerful, positive, empowering message, one that can not be gotten across or fully explained in just a few short words on a single day. It is a message of peace, love and prosperity. A message of world change. This message is something that can only be fully realized after a shift in the average person's way of being, something that is only likely to happen after one can both see the whole picture and see themselves within it

And it is my intention to reach a worldwide audience. The words I write, while helpful for me and those close to me are meant to reach as many eyes as possible. To such ends, I post my work in over a dozen different places on the internet

You may (or may not) have noticed that on some of these posts I ask that you share my work with others. The reason for this is so that more people have the opportunity to have the kind of thinking that this world so badly needs as part of their lives. People need to stop suffering in their sleep and wake up and start taking control of their own destinies. I don't want my work shared so that I can have recognition. In fact, recognition is the last thing that I want.

But if my way of thinking can improve the life of even one individual, if I can make the life of one person easier with the lessons and examples that I share, then I am happy with my work.  In my daily life, offline I can only really reach out to one person at a time. Don't get me wrong. Changing the life of one person for the better is completely freaking awesome. Two or ten or even thousands would be even better though.

The thing is, I only personally come in contact with a dozen or maybe twenty people every week. Let's say that's the average for most people. I think that's a little low because I don't tend to get out much. But if each person that reads my work online shares a little of my thoughts and ideas with each person that they come in contact with, soon twenty becomes hundreds and then those hundreds become tens of thousands.

I don't really care about the number of followers that I have, but it is good feedback. The more followers I have on my blogs the more I know people appreciate what I write and the more I know it is making an impact on people's lives.

And do you know what ? I don't really care if it is my work in particular. What I am really asking that you share with others is inspiring, empowering, uplifting things. I know that what I have to say is a good message. I don't have the time or inclination to read the whole internet and pick and choose what's inspiring and what is not. If you know of someone else that has the same goal as I do and has just as good of a message, share their work instead. If what you personally do in your life is a better example, share your own stories ideas and lessons on how to make the lives of yourself and others around you better. What I write, what you write, what others write, it doesn't matter to me as long as it serves to make this world a better place.

If you like what I write, don't thank me or directly offer me gratitude in any way whatsoever. No, instead show that gratitude by joining me in making the world better. Show others a better way. In this world there is really no such thing as neutral. You are either contributing to the improvement of society or you are contributing to its downfall. So what's it gonna be Utopia or Dystopia?

IF you want a world that is in a constant state of positive change, one that is always getting better and better, take the positive, uplifting, empowering things into your life. Make them a part of your way of being. And then share sHaRe SHARE share those things with the world.

Every post can make life here on this planet better. It could be one life that improves,  it could be dozens or even thousands. How much of an impact happens as a result depends on you.

I am going to keep living, and learning and writing and sharing until this world is the place it should be. There. I've told you what my intent is. Now, what are you going to do?

Set expectations

Have you ever seen one of those episodes of Star Trek where the Enterprise is in seriously deep trouble and the captain calls on the head of Engineering to come up with a miracle? It happens quite often.  If you've watched more than four or five episodes you probably know what I 'm talking about. And each time the response is something to the effect of "I'll do my best captain but even under normal circumstances it would take twice as long as the amount of time that we have in order to get it done"

But every time, Engineering pulls through and gets the job done in the nick of time. How does that happen? Well, because that's how the script is written of course, but what's the "real" reason?. In one of the movies though, the secret is explained. And the answer is to always overestimate the amount of time that it takes to get the job done by twenty to thirty percent. That way when you get it done in less time, you look like a miracle worker, especially if you managed to pull through in a highly stressful situation.

There is a powerful lesson to be learned here that we can use in our everyday lives. People have expectations. If you fail to meet those expectations, they find that they have less and less need or use for you. If you meet their expectations, the status quo is maintained and they continue to have use for you, until someone who comes along that is better. But, if you consistently blow their expectations away, they will be so pleased with your work that they will actively advertise your services to others and do everything that they can to get you to keep working for them as well.

So, set their expectations. Tell them what the average amount of time to do the job is. Tell them that you can probably do it in ten percent less time and then do it in half that amount of time. Or throw in a couple of optional things as freebies. It's a little balancing act. You want to make it look like nobody can do what they want done in the time available, but that you are still the best man for the job. Whatever it is, go over the top. Do it better and faster than your competition can. And then, don't brag about it, but do let your customer know, that you did the best job possible because you value them as a customer.

It doesn't matter if you are an auto mechanic, if you run a print shop or if you do telemarketing for a living. No matter what product or service you provide the community, if you do a higher quality job, in less time at a competitive price, your services will always be in high demand.

If you don't go out of your way to set up the expectations that other people have of you, people will make up their own based on assumptions that they have about you and they will hardly ever be as good for you in the long run. And this works in every area of your life of course, not just work. People should know ahead of time what to expect from you in a given situation so they know whether or not they can count on you for whatever it is that they happen to need at that moment.

Time flies when you are having fun

That's what they say at least. I know it's true for me. Whenever I find myself doing something I enjoy, the hours seem to speed by. Often when playing a game, spending time with my son or reading a book, I need to be reminded how much time has passed and what I am "supposed" to have already gotten done for the day.

How does that happen? Well, in actuality, the clock does not really move any faster. But, when we are doing something that we really like, our focus is entirely on what it is that we are doing and none is spared for clock watching or wondering how much time has passed. We are more interested in what we are doing presently than anything else that we could be doing at that moment.

Now what happens when you get to work? If you are like most people, you start off by dreading getting up, then you force yourself to get dressed, maybe have some breakfast and then head off to the job. By the time you get there you are ready to go. But, no, you have hours of waiting and clock watching until you get to go back home. You either don't like what you do, you don't like who you do it for, or you don't like the conditions that you do it under. Or some combination of all three. And the time just drags by, every minute seeming to get longer and longer, especially if it is not all that busy.

Some days at work are better than others, but none of them go by as quickly as when you are doing something you want to do. It doesn't seem fair does it? Our days aren't all filled with things that we enjoy doing. There is only so much time to parcel out to each thing. And the things that we like seem to whiz by in an instant.

But, what can you do about it? Well there's a couple of things. The first is to truly live in the moment whenever you are doing something you enjoy or spending time with someone you love. Be fully present in body and mind. Intentionally shut out distractions and really get the utmost out of every second, knowing that the time is fleeting and will be over much sooner than you want it to be.

And second, when working or starting out to do anything that you are not really fond of, find a way to flip the script, so to speak. Find some part of whatever it is that you are doing that you can make into something that is enjoyable. The idea is to literally make time fly for the things that you don't like, so that you can get back to the things that you do.

If you do a repetitive task, challenge yourself to find ways to make it more efficient, to cut corners without cutting quality. If you have downtime at work don't spend the time idly staring at the clock. Come up with new ways of doing whatever it is that you do. Figure out why your company does things exactly the way they do them and see if you can find a better way. This will serve to assist in alleviating your boredom and will show your employer that you have an interest in seeing the company do well. Find some way to make what you do a game, one that you can have fun with and of course win.

One of two things is likely to happen. Either, time will go by faster while you do the things you are not so fond of. Or many of the things you didn't used to like will become things you don't mind so much. Either way is a win-win for you.

Same work. Two perspectives

Let's have a little make believe session.  There are two scenarios that I would like you to imagine.

First, you go in to work and your boss has had all of the furniture removed from the office. He says if you would like to remain employed, you are going to be spending the next few days painting the walls, setting up bookshelves and creating new furniture.

In this second completely unrelated scenario you and your spouse are going to be having a baby soon. You decide that you will be painting the walls, setting up bookshelves and creating new furniture for the baby's room.

Which one of these two sets of tasks do you think you are more likely to give your very best focus and attention? Which one will you truly enjoy doing? Which one will give you the most satisfaction once complete?

Unless you are really abnormal the answer to all of the above questions is the second scenario. But why? The same work is being done in both circumstances. The same things are required of you.

One might say the first scenario is displeasing because it is a job you are expected to do or because you have no choice. The truth is you do have a choice, but since you decide that you want to keep your job you are being "forced" into the situation. When this happens resentment often sets in.

The other is more acceptable because it is your idea and not something someone else is telling you to do. But the real answer is that the second scenario is a labor of love. It is something that you truly want to do for this new person that is coming into your life soon.

Because of this, you will take great care to make every detail as perfect as it can possibly be. You will put every ounce of care and craftsmanship into the work that you are capable of doing. And you will most likely enjoy every minute spent on these tasks, possibly singing while you work or daydreaming about the time that you and your family will spend in the room when it is done.

Conversely, the work that you do for your boss will be adequate to get the job done and probably enough to keep your position, but the work will not make you happy and neither will the results.

I'd like to go back to the "but why?" question above. Every single circumstance in your life can be a labor of love. There is no reason to ever have the typical viewpoint expressed in the "work" scenario. The only good reason to ever do anything in life is because you want the result of that thing either for yourself or for someone else that you love.

Do not view the hours spent working for your boss as slaving away to make someone else rich. Look at it as what is required in order to support yourself and your family. And then rejoice that you are able to spend that time five days a week making it possible.

The work is the same. It is the point of view that is different. Who decides your point of view? You do. Happy people are more productive people as well as better problem solvers. So, if you are going to spend the same 40 hours working either way, why not enjoy it?