Monday, January 18, 2010

Not An Empire

So naturally, I made the simple request of God over the last two nights "What do you want me to do?" Foolish, in the sense that I realized that I probably did not expect a response - and got several.

The one that arises to my mind this morning is that of my relationships at work. Simply put, I don't really enjoy managing people or being responsible for them or their work.

It's a fine distinction, because for a great while I have been of the opinion that I don't really care for people. I don't think that's it totally: I am finding that I am consciously enjoying relationships that I am involved it; what I am not enjoying is the managerial accessories that come along with it.

It's an interesting puzzle, because that is so much of what industry is built on: work your way up the ranks, acquire more responsibility and more people/power (and therefore more money), and aspire to even more dizzying heights.

But as I think about it - as I asked God about it -what I got is this sense that I am simply not interested in this. I've no interest in building an empire or commanding the loyalty of others. I certainly don't mind what I do, but I'm not interested in the career track - without an interest in a career track, you eventually (at least here) go nowhere.

That's okay - I don't know that I have to do anything about today. I just need to be conscious of it for the moment, to ponder it and then figure out how to incorporate it into my career.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:51 AM

    There is no shame in simply wanting to do a good job and not climb the crazy ladder of so-called success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Agreed, although I find myself in something of a bind: simply doing a good job is not enough to pay the bills. The reality is that cash (at least) flows to higher positions, not specifically to those who simply do a good job. I'm not sure how to resolve that.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome (and necessary, for good conversation). If you could take the time to be kind and not practice profanity, it would be appreciated. Thanks for posting!