Tag: work

Don’t Give Away Your Power!

Jennifred Jones

How many times have I let somebody else make my decisions for me. I gave them my power!

I have done it time and time again, and hopefully I have ‘learnt my lesson’ and can help you.

For me, too often I didn’t think I was capable of figuring something out, or ‘needed’ help, or didn’t take the initiative, or was (lazy) and thought I’d just leave it up to somebody else!

Yes, it takes work, mental energy to make decisions. There might be some research you have to do. Might have to learn something new. Might have to start something new. Might have to turn away from something old. Might have to give something up.

But if you get busy doing your ‘homework’ your mental strength muscles will develop and your very own personal power – given to you – will grow and grow stronger. You’ll begin to notice changes in your outlook on life. The gray areas will start to disappear, and you’ll see more clearly what needs to be done or changed or added to.

Yes, there is power out there. It’s kind of like a vacuum. If you don’t claim your power someone else will take it from you … (by default you gave it to them).

Hold on to what is rightfully yours! and like we talked about yesterday…stand!

Take your responsibility – part of your reclaiming your power – and use it! Claim it! Be thankful for it! Do all you can with it, and you will be given more to help others.

Stand in your own power!

STAND!

Be a Laborer #2

Jennifred Jones

Just a common laborer….not so! You are an important part in the mechanization of making good things!

You are only a common laborer if what you do doesn’t matter to you or anyone else. Labor is good if it serves a good purpose, therefore making your work valuable and worthwhile.

If the only important task was thinking up an idea…and a good idea at that…but there was no one to design, make and develop it, what good would it be? It takes hands to turn the idea into a reality. We are a hands-on people…absolutely no shame in that.

We need to be doing things, we need to be working at something, and so do our kids. We need to find something interesting to us and make it, build it, improve it, mess with it and see what happens. The brain power exerted is good for us. We need to be challenged to keep growing.

Whether you are raking someone’s lawn for a living, blowing the leaves, cutting the grass…remember all labor is good if you do it well. The same is true for any task, painting the room, cooking a recipe, cleaning the bathroom, (I have heard some say, “I don’t clean bathrooms”.) I say if you use it you clean it. Again, there is a certain pride well earned from a job well done. Don’t despise the work, just do it and marvel at the result!

There is no job ‘beneath our dignity’. I think it makes you stand out as a stronger, better person because you do the ‘lesser’ jobs best!

Sometimes we have to redirect our pride from, ‘I don’t do that type work‘ to ‘Look how good I did that work’!  We can help redirect other’s thoughts about the dignity of work and labor.

Do I have a piece of work I need to think more highly of myself as I perform it?

Can I encourage someone else today of the value of their labor?

I will think differently about what I do. My labor is valuable. There is no shame.

Be a Laborer #1

Jennifred Jones

There’s nothing worse than having something expected to work well, not work! But there’s something wonderful about having something work extremely well.

Who made it work and how did it happen?

  • Somebody had to study the product…
  • Somebody had to learn the product…
  • Somebody had to work the product…
  • Somebody had to develop the product.

Who is the somebody and what is the product? The somebody is you, a laborer doing your work; the product is the outcome of what you do.

Anything made well, that works well had to go through the above steps.

It could be the bike you ride every day to work, the waffle iron for breakfast, the stroller for the kids; the bridge you cross, the street layout of your town, the building you work in, the computer programming you use.

How you use and how you design and work to improve the products in your daily life will determine the ease and enjoyment of these products for you and others.

It takes a lot of good thought and good manual labor to create a good product. We don’t want to waste time and resources making an inferior product that may add a few quick dollars to our pockets and then no longer serves the consumer, or you, well.

There is a satisfaction that only comes from time invested in making/building a good product. You are part of the process, either as designer or maker, but you are laboring to make something worthwhile; something you’re not ashamed to attach your name to, something you can explain to others and be proud of, it works well, it serves its purpose and it looks good!

Be a good laborer, have a good product.                                                                                          Be in an atmosphere where you can give it your all, and then give it!