Wednesday; January 16


          Have you ever found yourself just flat worn out ... and then been asked to do just one more thing?  Sometimes it seems like there is no end to what we are asked to do – or is there?  I have often found myself brooding about this, but upon closer inspection I realized that I was the one who put myself in that predicament.  It wasn’t necessarily that other people weren’t holding up their end of the bargain – the truth is that I wasn’t allowing them to do so.  It wasn’t that others weren’t wanting to do something, the issue was that I wasn’t allowing them to do so.  So, how can we take some of the strain off of ourselves and spread the responsibilities?  Here are a few suggestions:
1.  Give others permission to do things.  Micromanagers are continually overworked because they won’t delegate.  When we give people the ability to make decisions and undertake actions, we do a favor for both them and us.
2.  Teach others to do what we do.  It is tempting to be selfish with our responsibilities.  We reason that if we are the only one who can do something, we are indispensable.  The problem with this logic is that it is not only untrue, it is also unfair to those who hope to move up in areas of responsibility.
3.  Tell others when we need help.  Whether it is merely saying, “No I can’t do that” or asking someone else to help us out with something, there are times when our plates are full and we can’t add something without removing something else.  By asking for assistance, we get a break and the job gets the attention it deserves.
4.  Allow people to accomplish tasks in their own way.  Do we find ourselves overwhelmed because we are having to redo what people already did?  Did people REALLY not do a good job or did they just not do it the way we would have done it.  Let’s give others the chance to shine ... and, if the job is done effectively, let it go.
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; July 10

During church services last weekend, our song leader took us down Memory Lane leading us in a few old classics including the hymn “Yield Not To Temptation”.   According to a brief internet search, Horatio R. Palmer wrote the song in 1868 and published it in the National Sunday School Teacher’s Magazine.   From that point the song developed a following and it became a favorite for a lot of people.   We used to sing this song a lot when I was a youngster, but like many of the old standards, we don’t sing it as much anymore.   However, as we sang it the other day I was struck by the simplicity of the second verse, “Shun evil companions, bad language disdain, God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain; be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true; look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.”.   I am not going to argue the point of the eloquence of the verse, but the practicality is self-explanatory.   Whether it is the middle of the 19 th Century or at the beginning of the 21
Read more