If I asked you if you liked your job, the majority of people would say no. And then I would follow up with the question, why do you not like your job? Some of the responses I am quite sure that I would receive is the low pay, my co-workers, my boss, the working conditions, it's not what I want to do, and the list would go on and on. Then, I would ask, why are you still there? Possible answers include; scared to leave, can't find another job, comfortable, no one is hiring for your skill set, or you might not be qualified to move on.
So, what does this have to do with anything? Well after serving for 24 years in the Navy, I, like many of you were requested, asked, highly recommended, forced, or volun-told to do a job that I didn't want to do because I felt like it was below me or I was not trained to do that particular job and the inevitable "it's not my job."
It didn't take me long to realize, that anything I was tasked with was my job, and I was given that task for a reason. As many of you know, being in the military has its challenges, just as any job has, but the biggest one we face is having to move our families every 2-3 years. I have had the honor of serving in all four corners of the U.S. and Hawaii, and have visited a few countries while living on three ships.
For all of those duty stations, I made it a point not to get up each morning hating the fact that I was in a certain location, or become mediocre or stagnate in my duties because it seemed like no one else cared, or try to win the coveted "most popular or liked Sailor award."
I understood that not everyone wanted to be a go-getter and they were perfectly fine with riding the coattails of others, and I was ok with that but I was just the opposite. When I reported to my new command, I went out of my way to find out who was the most qualified and had the most knowledge so that I could follow their lead so that I could be a valuable member of the team. I will admit that I doubted some of my decisions and had my bad days but I made it my mission to approach each day being firm and fair and respectful of others. I wanted my enthusiasm to impact others around me so that they could be a better version of themselves just as I was doing every day.
Once I realized that it wasn't about me, and began to work willingly at whatever I was asked to do, I noticed that the quality of my work increased. I realized that by taking self pride and ownership of what I was in charge of not only help change my perspective of work but it also impacted the people that I worked for, that worked for me, and that I worked with, respect me even more.
So, no matter what your job is and whatever reason or excuse you may have for being mediocre in your job, ask yourself, "if someone gave you the same effort that you are displaying now, how satisfied would you be with their productivity?" #SPEAK2MYHEART ***HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!***
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