I read a blog post yesterday that resonated so loudly, I'm still thinking about it. It's like I found a really cool piece of jewelry, a bracelet maybe (I love bracelets) that I had to buy and now I don't want to take it off.
I don't know the author personally, (Donald Miller), but I do know the friend that shared the post in social media (Hi Felic), and she is one that I will ready anything she posts, because she is a good investment of my time.
That phrase was chosen carefully, you will see.
I'm sure the author won't mind if I share the link here, especially since I have nothing but praise for what he has written.
http://storylineblog.com/2015/08/17/who-gets-picked/
He had me at the title of the post, "The Secret to Getting Picked". I am not going to elaborate in exact detail as I would just be pasting what he wrote, here.
No pressure to read the post, I can only tell you what I gleaned from reading it, and let you know that if you find a few minutes in your day, it is well worth the read.
Donald writes his point near the end of the post, and that is where I will begin:
The point is this:
"If we want to be picked in life, we should ask our selves a single question: Am I a good investment?"
I can go down my own road with this thought alone.
Are we a good investment? This can be applied both personally, and professionally, as Donald explains so eloquently.
We are living in the time of right now, it seems. Applying the question on a personal level, it is often that I find men and women both, not looking into their own reflection when pursuing relationships. Some look to the partner to fulfill what they want and need, without also checking to see if they are a good investment for that partner. We all know the old adage, "love is a two-way street". There are many more, "relationships take work", "marriage is hard work", "a good relationship takes commitment and sacrifice to thrive, and last".
I am lucky in that I have so many shining examples in my family of what a good, lasting marriage looks like. I've never wondered, because I've seen it with my own eyes. Love isn't always romantic, and pretty and perfect. Sometimes it is gritty, and tired, and has to fight ugly things that life can bring, like cancer, and the loss of a loved one, and other hardships or tragedies. As I've grown older, I realize that it's during the not-so-perfect times, that love is in its most perfect state.
Applying the question on a professional level, I think about what we can bring to the table in our positions at work each day. Rather than getting caught up in office politics (which I abhor), or what is fair regarding workloads if we are part of a team, a great amount of productivity can be had by those that give their best each day, to their employer. If what your coworker is doing does not have an effect on your job performance, shift focus to what you are accomplishing, and dig in. I've always thought that anything having my name on it, should be the best work I've done. Whether it's a large project, or something seemingly mundane and insignificant. Let the rest go, focus on what you can do, in the best way that you know how.
Am I a good investment? I've been asking myself this question since I read the post. Do I leave people better than they were before we spoke? Do I leave my signature on the best work I've done, every day? Or do I hurriedly do the work and then scribble an unintelligible scrawl of my name.
Whether the answer is yes or no, I can tell you that I will now be mindful of the questions.
See you soon friend,
Tiffany
P.S. I don't always want breakfast-type food in the morning. Sometimes I want to live on the edge, you know? Like salad. Or chicken. Or if I want to get really crazy, Breakfast at Tiffany's could be canapes! (def: a thin piece of bread or toast, or a cracker spread, topped with cheese, caviar, anchovies, or other savory food)
It doesn't even have to be a cracker!
