Workjoy

WorkJoy Podcast Notes

Monty Kelso

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I want to start out this morning with a story.  Once there was a man who loved to work.  He loved creating value.  He loved the way his work made him grow.  He didn’t always like the problems he ran into, but he felt joy when he came up with a solution that worked.  He loved being part of a team.  He managed people and felt it was what he was born to do.  He liked getting to know his co-workers: he asked about their lives and families and interests.  He loved when a team got inspired by an idea.  He loved watching people gain new skills and confidence.  He even enjoyed getting ready for work.  Sometimes in the shower he would yell “Focus!” to himself just to get psyched up.  He liked looking ahead to what each day would hold.  He enjoyed the feeling at the end of the day when he could look back on how he had been productive.  He didn’t tell the people at church this, but secretly he felt the presence of God more at work than he did at church services.  He often found himself praying for ideas and wisdom.  When it was time for evaluations, he looked forward to the chance to learn and grow.  His joy at work made him a better husband, father, friend, and volunteer.  The skills he learned at work made him better at other relationships.  His children grew up believing that the chance to work was a gift.  When he was very old and ill, all the people he had loved over the years gathered around his sickbed.  They thanked him for how he had enhanced their lives.  He thought of all the joy and purpose that his work had given him over the years, and these were his final words.  I wish I could have spent more time in the office

Not sure where that cliche came from, but I know where it didn’t come from.  The bible.  In the Bible, everyone works.

Dennis Bakke in his book, Joy at Work, notes that most characters in the bible worked in secular vocations.

Isaac developed real estate

Jacob was a rancher

Joseph was a government official

Moses spent 40 years as a sheepherder

Esther won a beauty contest and went into government service

David worked in animal husbandry, then went into military service

Perhaps the ultimate expression of how much God values work is Jesus the carpenter.  Jesus spent more than three quarters of his working life in the building profession.  The bible is written by workers, about workers, for workers.

Out of the following words, what word is used most in the bible.  Joy, peace, patience, kindness, righteous or righteousness, Jesus or work.  Who says work?  What are you kidding me.  It’s Jesus.  But work is second.

Why do we have such negative feelings about work?

What was your worst job?

Let’s look at how we can make move from work to work joy

Monty, tell us why this is so important to you?

Monty sent a couple of articles that I’ll put on our show notes with some ways to may work a joy.  The first article was on joy busters.  Let’s do this first one like a quiz.  Rate yourself on the following

“JOYBUSTERS”

At Slingshot Group we are driven to  “help people love their work”. But we’re not the only ones talking about it. Just google “love your work” and you’ll find tons of articles about how to find more joy in the workplace. Things like, finding your sweet-spot, working with people you like and doing work that is meaningful. But what about those things that are what I call “joy busters”. Those things that actually suck the joy right out of you and leave you hating your job. Here are five things that I consider the top “joybusters” in the work place.  But here’s the thing: They have little to do with others behavior and everything to do with you.

(note: I think there is likely a better order to these 5 things. Have your way please).

Joybuster #1: Procrastination. Putting things off until the last minute only produces stress. Stress creates tension, and tension produces irritability. Solution: create a plan and work the plan. Don’t just think about the task itself; think about the best process to accomplish the task. A good product in spite of a bad process usually comes at the expense of good people.

Joybuster #2: Messy work space: Not everyone is a neat freak. But you don’t have to be a neat freak to appreciate a clean and organized work environment. We all know that elated feeling when we walk in to our personal spaces that have just been de-cluttered and cleaned. Solution: Determine that you will spend at least one hour a week to invest in your work environment. Maybe that’s adopting a live plant, painting a wall, calling the carpet cleaners, cleaning the mirror or re-arranging the furnishings. Your environment matters.

Joybuster #3: Personal neglect: It’s nearly impossible to feel joyful in any situation (especially at work) if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. We get tired, hungry, sick, fat and negative when we neglect taking care of ourselves. Solution: Take responsibility for your lifestyle choices. Start by becoming more disciplined. To be the best version of yourself you must invest in your whole being…mind, body, soul and spirit. By taking time every day to care for yourself you will soon find a renewed energy, a natural smile, and a greater capacity to love others.

Joybuster #4: Unresolved conflict: This is a sneaky one.  At the risk of being uncomfortable in a disagreement, it’s easy to just sweep conflicts under the rug and pretend they don’t exist. As unresolved conflicts build up over time, they foster a toxic wasteland of relationships where dishonesty, distrust and resentment prevails. Solution: Learn the art of confrontation. Value people enough to speak the truth in love immediately. Take responsibility for your behavior. Take the initiative to resolve the issues in a constructive, honoring way. Though it could be incredibly hard work for you, the freedom that results from talking through conflict to the point of mutual resolution will eventually release the joy inside of you.

Joybuster #5: Lack of skill: Though you may be working at your dream job that lines up perfectly with your passion, calling and gifting, without the skill to do your job well you will be frustrated and easily stressed out. Lack of skill can cost you time on the job, the results you (and others) are expecting, and the fulfillment that you desire at the end of a work day. Solution: Always be learning. Be aggressive when it comes to mastering the skills that it takes to successfully do your job. If technology isn’t your friend, take a class. If skills are getting rusty, don’t neglect practice. Never underestimate your potential to grow into your talent by mastering the skills that allow for your greatest contribution.

Life is short. And statistics show the average person will spend 35% of their waking hours over a 50 year working- life. So why not do all you can to live the best life possible where you can genuinely experience “workjoy” as a natural part of your work day?

So what do you tell someone who’s stuck in a bad work environment?

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. I Peter 2:12

1. Do good when your boss is unorganized, unreasonable and not a very good leader.

(Submit.  This is a military word that simply means to follow the one who is in charge of you)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Bill Clinton’s memoir, “My Life” is coming out in June.  They say it should be a good read even for people unfamiliar with Bill Clinton.  You know, like Hillary. Jay Leno

President Bush also told the pope that he has prayed every day since he became president.  Hey, since he’s become president, we’ve all prayed everyday.  Leno

A year into Obama’s first term in office, unemployment is higher, the national debt is higher and there are more soldiers in Afghanistan.  When asked about it, Obama was like, “Well, technically, that is change.” Jimmy Fallen.

2. Do good when you are stuck in a dead end job and you are mistreated and even abused in your work.

Worst bosses-

When my grandmother died, he forced me to provide him with a copy of her death certificate and proof that she was indeed my grandmother before he would grant me time off to attend her funeral. When my grandfather died a month later, he refused to let me go to the funeral because he said I couldn’t pull “that trick” again. – Pam

When I was working in a photo lab, my boss hired a guy who was COLOR BLIND to do color corrections in photos. Sharon T.

My worst boss owned a printing company. He was trying to attract a new client. The client was a catholic seminary. The day before the client visit, my boss hung up crosses all over the company from the front door to the bathrooms. – Karen C

How would you challenge someone who works in an environment like that?

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. I Peter 2:18