I’m teaching my grandson how to have a good work ethic. There are many aspects to consider; recently we talked about volunteering to do hard tasks. Some jobs are easy, others are difficult; when given a choice, choose those that are challenging. Most people avoid them.
You earn a good reputation by volunteering to do hard things and doing them well. Also, it’s usually the right and noble thing to do.
Sometimes it involves doing simple but unpleasant tasks.
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- When my year-old granddaughter went ballistic in a restaurant, I volunteered to skip my meal and babysit her.
- Boxes—heavy and light—needed to be moved. I went for the heavy ones.
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Sometimes it means committing to complicated challenges.
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- Starting a graduate degree later in life.
- Working a second job to get out of debt.
- Becoming the caretaker for an invalid friend.
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Some people only do easy things; they stay in the path of least resistance. At work they do the minimum required to keep their jobs; they don’t want to be inconvenienced in life; they seldom volunteer for optional tasks. Don’t be like that.
Leap at the chance to do things that other people don’t want to do. When others hesitate, act. Volunteer to do things you’re not responsible for or required to do.
Potential benefits?
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- You’ll garner a reputation for being an action-oriented, get-it-done person.
- You’ll be a source of momentum and positive direction.
- Difficult tasks develop strong “muscles”; you’ll grow in wisdom and ability.
- You’ll benefit from the fact that accomplishing hard things is usually more rewarding than doing simple things.
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I work with a man, I’ll call him Pete (because that’s his real name) who personifies this mentality. He’s eager to work, he’s low maintenance, he volunteers for extra assignments, and he does more than he’s paid to do. Thanks, Pete.
For those of us who are church members in the UK, there are always volunteer roles that need filling. Beware mixing up the hard tasks and the “important” tasks. Humble serving is the key. The guys who put out the chairs and set-up each week are there before everyone else and go home when others are sitting down to lunch. The same applies to those on the coffee rota.
In the work environment, be wise to the employer who will always ask the willing workers to do extra. In paid employment, everyone should be pulling their weight. Although, an individual may have a willing heart, is there a family losing out on a mum or dad who is never home?
As always, Angela, you add balance to the conversation. If we over-commit to getting things done, it may enable laziness among some people. Someday, I hope we can have coffee together. Don
While I agree with this post in many ways, as someone who has a tendency to say “yes” to doing whatever needs doing, I find that I need to draw a line somewhere along this path, but it is often hard to see where. At what point is my willingness to do hard things enabling others to let someone else do the hard things rather than doing them for themself?
Eric, you bring up a great point. I once heard the phrase “If you do it for them, they will let you.” Which speaks to the issue of going things we should allow others to do. I admire you that you err in that direction.