Things To Consider While Working- (4)

 Viii Be contented

In all things be contented with what you have. There is great gain in this. While it is good to work hard and strive to attain the highest possible position, do it with contentment at every rung of the ladder to your greatest height; don’t make it a do or die matter.

Edward Dyer, an English courtier and poet, better captured the heart of contentment in the book ‘In praise of a contented mind’:

“Some have too much, yet still do crave;

I little have, and seek no more:

They are but poor, though much they have,

And I am rich with little sore.

They are poor, I am rich; they beg, I give;

They lack, I leave; they pine, I live,”

Where you lack the spirit of contentment, you are prone to do so many vices

ix Make good friends

While working, it is an opportunity for you t make good friends both within and outside your work environment. You may need such friends even at your retirement. According to Judith E. Glaser, the Author of creating WE, in her book the DNA of leadership, wrote in her dedication page: ‘life is built on a tapestry of support, from one cell to another, we all live by link, by support in one form or the other.

No one can live in isolation for long and be called human. This assertion was giving credence to by John Donne,  the English poet when he wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed by away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if  a manor of thy friends or of thy own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”.

It is true that we have good friends, so also there are bad ones. While it is important to make friends you should not allow yourself to be influenced by the bad ones, but rather your good character be a model for them to emulate

x. Avoid evil, avoid crime

Whatever is not good is bad; bad thing is evil, therefore whatever is not good is evil. Act of evil grows in the heart of man and if not immediately weeded away, it has the tendency of growing and bear fruit of its likeness. You may not know or ignore to know what the evil seed you grow today will grow and germinate, and you will eat from the fruit thereof at the appropriate time,

It is therefore in your own interest that you avoid evil in your working place.

xi. Be respectful

Respect begets respect. A friend told a story of how he met an elderly man of god, and of course, his general overseer at the airport.  As he bows down to greet this man of God, the man quickly bows down for him and he too quickly deepens how he bows down, he has no choice than to go down deeper than that of the man of God.

Respect also earns you favour. He who gives genuine respect attracts quantifiable favour. Don’t allow your status, position or achievement blindfolded you not to recognise this important attribute of life.

Unfortunately many people fake respect. Such people only give respect in other to bribe their way through. Faked respect is worse; but it abounds virtually everywhere. The end result, no matter sweet it may be at the beginning, is bad.

xii. Don’t compromise

Settlement and compromise has gradually become the order of the day. To get things done and done fast, you must be ready to compromise and ‘play ball’. This phenomenon is so rampant that the view was gaining ground that for you to get promoted, or recognised, or given a sensitive responsibility, or contract, you must know how to ‘settle’ either in kind or in cash.

At a seminar not too long ago, one of the facilitators cited the case of some financial institution whose female young staff were given some unrealistic targets. These targets could not be achieved even by their board members who have
been in the system for many years, with all the opportunities they have. How do you now ask a young graduate to out and meet the target set without compromising? The man asked rhetorically, this could be seen as a big challenge: to either toe the line or check out from the system, if after all efforts by you does not yield the desired result, please check out instead of compromising; you will laugh later, though it might be rough initially.

Adapted from the book Planning  A Blissful Retirement by P. Tai Adediji. pg.26-29