The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

The Worst Job Ever

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Well.      .      .

what is it?

What’s   the

W      O      R      S      T               J      O      B  

 you’ve   ever   had?

Most of us have had more than

J U S T   O N E

J o b   in   our   lives.

I began working well before my 14th birthday.

I had to get

 “WORKING   PAPERS”

signed by my parents

so that I could work a part-time job behind our house.

Charlie was a pallet builder for shipping companies

and he needed a Laborer to haul wood,

shovel and sweep up sawdust

and burn piles of wood chips/scraps.

It was a hot job

and I hated being literally,

steps aways from my backyard

where my brothers and friends were doing what I wanted to be doing:

P          L          A          Y          I          N          G .     .     .

There were Golf Course jobs,

being a Roofer,

a waiter in a Pizza diner,

a Steelworker,

working as a clerk/stocker for grocery store,

A Cigar/Tobacco/Pipe Shop Keeper

a Gas Station Attendant,

Student Minister,

Minister,

Associate Minister,

Sr Minister,

Hospice Chaplain,

Part-time Minister,

Self Published Writer,

Professional Speaker,

Wedding

Baptism

and Funearl Officiant.        .        .       .

But do any of those jobs.        .        .

any of the jobs you ever had compare

to being the

Light    Bulb    Changer    in    a    Cobra    Cage ?

Ophiophagus hanna  is the largest/longest venomous snake in the world,

and it has enough venom to kill elephants,

buffaloes,

and oh yeah,

easily any  h u m a n.          .          .

S e r i o u s l y,

how much an hour,

how much a month,

would you need

to make
to do
t         h         i         s

as part of your routine duties?

Me?

Not all of the money in Thailand

and it’s four neighboring Countries.

There are some great jobs,

and there are some absolutely horrible jobs,–

All a matter of perspective,  huh?

There are some jobs we do for money,

lots of it,

and some we do for not any money at all.

It’s one of those little
UNKOWN      FACTS,

but statistically,

Labor Day is the second
to New Year’s
as the time when most people take time

to actually sit down

and try to GPS

out a fairly clear and even more compelling plan for their future.

The Ga-Zillion dollar question is:

W   I   L   L       Y  O  U     B  E     O  N  E      O  F      T  H  E  M ?

About  time  for  an  old  cliche:

IF   YOU   DON’T   KNOW   WHERE   YOU   ARE   GOING,   ANY   ROAD   WILL   TAKE   YOU   THERE!

What’s the Worst Job you have ever had?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.             .             .

Maybe the Worst job Ever

is   you   doing

W          H          A          T          E          V          E          R

your’e   doing   and   ultimately.       .       .

N  O  T       S  U  P  P  O  S  E       T  O       B  E       D  O  I  N  G !

OUR    WORK
ISN’T    WHAT    WE    DO
BUT    WHO    WE    ARE

Y     O     U
are the Job.       .       .

Y   O   U
are the Work

that needs to get

F  I  N  I  S  H  E  D !

Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:

There’s no money in the world

—-all of it—-

that anyone could ever get
or give to do

T   H   A   T        J   O   B !

H  A  P  P  Y

(U N – )L A B O R     D A Y

DESTINATION OR DESIGNATION?

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The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
‘Mend my life!’
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognised as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save

Mary Oliver

Journeys are always important; they prove that we are more than mere push-pins on a map showing where we’ve been, where we are and maybe, where we’ve yet to be but are well on our ways.          .         .

Mary Oliver’s poem inspired this Caring Catalyst to do some noodling about what’s most important on my journey, the DESTINATION or the DESIGNATION especially on this Friday before Labor Day weekend, when we ponder our work and ourselves.             .               .        HENCE:

DESIGNATIONS

I haven’t always gotten all aboard
                                                       a train
                                                       a ship
                                                       a trolley car
                                                       a taxi
                                                       a plane
a merry-go-round-roller-coaster-ferris wheel
but I have journeyed
from so many destinations
to even more designations
the best being the ones not planned
and whether it feels like
I’ve traveled aimlessly
or at times not much at all
I’ve always arrived or been
exactly where I needed to be
especially without baggage or
any hefty leave-it-all-behind carry on’s

Always more than a a push pin on a map
of Somewhere’s
Destinations to Designations
define more than a place I’m at
     but more of who I am

 

LABORED DAYS

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Muhammad Mashali was a doctor who treated Egypt’s poorest citizens completely free of charge for 50 years.

Mashali passed away in 2020 at the age of 76.
He spent 12 hours a day in the clinic and received 30-50 patients a day. Not only did a line of people form in front of his ambulance every day, people would approach him on the street and he would give them medical advice. Dr. Muhammad Mashali never had a car or even a telephone. He walked from home to work.

When a rich man heard about his story, he gave him $20,000, a car and an apartment. But a year later, when his benefactor returned to Egypt, he learned that the doctor had sold his car to help poor patients and bought new medical equipment.

When Muhammad Mashali graduated from Cairo Medical School in 1967, he explained why he wanted to sacrifice himself for the good of others:
“My father sacrificed his life so that I could become a doctor. Then I promised God that I would not take a penny from the poor and live a life of service to people of all cultures and religions.”

BUT LABOR DAY WAS THIS PAST MONDAY.           .          .
or may be
it’s today
or any day
you wake up
to be
A Caring Catalyst
NOT AGAIN.          .          .
but
O            N            C            E

M               O               R               E.        .        .


MAKE YOUR JOB
SOMEONE’S PLEASURE.        .        .

LOTTERY WINNER

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Well. . .
HAVE YOU WON THE LOTTERY?

No. . . ?

You can’t answer,
“I DIDN’T PLAY”

If you have a job
If you have chosen a career path
If you work:
YOU’VE PLAYED THE LOTTERY
Now,
The big question that literally is ever asked over your lifetime is:
HAVE YOU WON THE LOTTERY
by your choice?

The graduating class of 2019 was told that they would not have
FIVE JOBS
in their lifetimes,
They’d have
SIX CAREERS!

Labor day is now a few days safely behind us,
laughing, taunting us in our rearview mirrors
mostly telling us:
SUMMER IS OVER
but has it had you reflecting on
WOULD YOU DO WHAT YOU DO
ALL OVER AGAIN
or would you choose a different job/career path?

When asked, many people claim that money is not just the main reason but the only reason for having a job. Can that be true?

The problem with money
The problem with money can be simply stated. It is effective at forcing people to go to work but no one likes to be forced. When we feel that others are pulling the strings, we go away mentally. Money saps our internal motivation for work.

This phenomenon was explored by psychologists many decades ago. In one charming early experiment, children were given felt-tipped pens to play with, an activity that most enjoyed. Half of the children were than paid for playing with the pens.

Would the money increase children’s interest in playing with pens? The evidence was clear. Children who had been paid lost much of their interest in playing with the pens when given the opportunity to do so without pay. Play had been turned into work.

People do all kinds of work because they enjoy the activity for its own sake. Anglers love to fish but it is not because they use the fish as food. In fact many practice catch-and-release and continue fishing with unabated enthusiasm. Motivation theorists say that we are intrinsically motivated for such activities. .

We are not intrinsically motivated for work, which is why we need to be paid. Money can be highly effective at motivating hard work. In fact, when employees are paid under a piece rate system, where a fixed amount of money is paid per unit of work, they work so hard and take so few breaks, that they endanger their health. Piece work is so bad for health that it was outlawed by unions and people around the world are mostly paid for time on the job rather than on the basis of productivity.

Powerful though money is as a form of control over workers, it is not the only reason that people show up at work and probably not the most important.

Taking money out of the equation
Yet, there is abundant evidence that employees find their jobs intrinsically rewarding. Ask yourself what people do when money is taken out of the equation.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, public employees went unpaid for months at a time. Yet most continued to show up on time for work. The familiar routine of work was somehow preferable to spending the day at home.

Lottery winners fall into two camps. One group says that quitting work is their first order of business. The other says they plan to stay on the job.

Retirement is a similar conundrum. Some retirees cultivate rewarding hobbies and never look back. Others cannot face spending the day at home with their spouse and return to the work force after a week off.

What else does a job offer?
Being good at a job makes the work more enjoyable whether you are building a wall or writing a piano concerto. The reason, of course is that coworkers and clients alike appreciate a job well done and are liable to express their appreciation.

Behavioral psychologists, like Dr Nigel Barber, refer to this as social reinforcement. Social reinforcement is every bit as powerful as money. Adulation, praise, or affection, are as potent as any drug in motivating people to work hard. What is more, social reinforcement increases our interest in the work we do because it gets imbued with social significance. These experiences, and not money, are what makes people want to return to their place of work day after day, even after the age of retirement.

We should not forget that most jobs are vastly entertaining. The workplace is a stage and all the men and women there merely players. What is the point of winning the lottery if you cannot make your coworkers green with the news.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .

So,
ARE YOU A LOTTERY WINNER
Is what you’re currently doing
Feeding you as well as Dinner-ing Others. . .

Maybe Labor Day
is more
much more than a
DAY

Maybe being a true
Lottery Winner
is just realizing
more than just every once in a while
OUR WORK
ISN’T WHAT WE DO;
IT’S WHO WE ARE. . .

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst of the Day:
There’s no retiring from
T H A T

The Worst Thing Survey

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Hand in Hand

we go.        .        .

or not.          .          .

The survey won’t lie,

will it.       .       .

Are you ready:

What’s the worst thing someone could say about you

about your life’s vocational choice:

A)   YOU   DIDN’T   DO   YOUR  JOB

B)   YOU   DIDN’T   DO   YOUR   JOB   WELL

Maybe there should be a

C

category.     .     .

There are studies out there that basically states:

NOBODY   C A R E S.         .        .

We chronically confuse the feeling of effort with

the reality of results.          .          .

Psychologists have long noticed what’s sometimes been called

THE   LABOR   ILLUSION

and it kind of rains on your Labor Day Picnic;

The Theory:

When it comes to judging other people’s work,

we might say we’re focused only on whether they did a good job

quickly and well–

but really we want to feel they wore themselves out for us.     .     .

For me it goes back into my history

that has always had me believing

the harder I work,

the happier I make others.       .        .

It was how I first tired to impress my parents

and then my supervisors

and then my co-workers

and then my friends

and now.          .          .

So how do you answer the survey?

Would you be hurt if people called you lazy

if they accused you of not working hard

or would you take more offense

not working well

.          .          .or smart?

Maybe  there  really  should  be  a

C

option:

C)   HE       DOESN’T       CARE

Maybe that would be the most offensive thing

that could be said of you

your work

your ethic.          .         .

The old cliche

could hauntingly be true:

PEOPLE    DON’T    CARE    HOW    MUCH    YOU    KNOW

UNTIL    THEY    KNOW    HOW    MUCH    YOU    CARE

There was an actual survey taken

which posed the question:

WHAT   IS   THE   MOST   IMPORTANT   QUESTION
A   FOLLOWER   ASKS   OF   THEIR   LEADER?

You would think it would have to do with

vision

success

going somewhere

accomplishing something

some kind of

A     C     T     I     O     N

H            O            W            E            V            E            R

The most requested

and the number one question

of followers about the Leader was

DOES     THE     LEADER     CARE     FOR     ME

The survey showed that followers wanted to know more

about the fact that the Leader

C   a   r   e   d

than the fact the Leader was

C o m p e t e n t

or that the Leader

could take them to a higher level.          .          .

They just wanted to know

before they fell in line:

DOES     THE     LEADER     CARE     FOR      ME ?

So.           .           .

what say you?

How do you answer the survey?

A)  YOU   DON’T  DO  YOUR  JOB

B)  YOU   DON’T  DO  YOUR  JOB  WELL

C)  YOU  DON’T  CARE

Which would be the worst someone could accuse you?

Maybe the only way to truly to answer the Survey

is to merely

E  L  I  M  I  N  A  T  E           I  T

simply  being

A  Caring  Catalyst

enough to never even have to pose the survey

Maybe.           .            .

it just comes to down to your

i     n      t     e     n     t     i     o     n:

A)  MAKE MONEY

B)  SECURE BENEFITS

C)  S E R V E

or to just

unequivocally 

undoubtedly 

unhesitantly

untiringly

unendingly 

with every opportunity afforded,

and when an opportunity was present.     .     .

Y             O             U

created   i t

What  say  y o u ?

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,           ,          ,

what   d o   you ?

 

Labor Day/Labor Life

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Pay_To_Quit

What would it take?

How much money would you need to walk away from your job–

N          O          W ?

$5000.00?

$50,000.00?

1 Million dollars?

How much money would it take for you to quit your job?

You know,

it’s   not   a   fantasy   question.

AMAZON CEO, Jeff Bezos actually instituted such a program a little over a year ago.

It’s called:   P A Y    T O    Q U I T    P O L I C Y 

under their heading of

 “Employee Empowerment.”

Now, Mr. Bezos, doesn’t actually want to have people quit, in fact, the headline on the offer is is:

PLEASE DON’T TAKE THIS OFFER

So why the offer. . .

w h y    t h e    t e a s e ?

The goal is supposedly to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want.

Amazon feels that in the long run,

someone staying where they don’t want to be isn’t healthy for the employee or the company,

h     e     n     c     e,

here’s   $5000.00   to leave.

So.        .        .

what would it cost to get you out of your job?

Wait.        .        .

hold onto   that   anchor

before you pull it up and set sails to some other sunset.

There’s a study with Wells Fargo

that 22% of the middle class would

 rather  die  early  than  not  have  enough  money  to  live  comfortably  in  retirement?

Holy Conundrums, Batman.

In a way,

every day is some sort of a   Labor Life,   isn’t it?

Not just the First Monday in September.      .      .

Not just a couple of days ago to end a perfect weather weekend.       .       .

Maybe the real question is,

WHAT   REALLY   KEEPS   YOU   DOING   WHAT   YOU’RE   DOING?

How about a 30 hour work week?

Amazon just pitched that out to their employees, too.       .       .

I      N      T      E      R      E      S      T      E       D ?

Pssssssssssssst:

IF  Money  and Benefits are the answer,

maybe we’re not living to our fullest capabilities

and  we’d  be  better  off  cashing  it  all  in?

It doesn’t matter much what your real Passion is. . .

WHAT   DO   YOU   DO   BEST?

It’s amazing when I have had countless conversations with hospice patients

and it eventually gets to the part of

r        e        g        r        e        t        s

and has life been

 m       e       a       n       i       n       g       f       u       l, 

just how often the extreme existential pain centers around

what  was  done  instead  of  what  was  

W    A    N   T   E   D  

to    be    done.

I’ve been told,

“I hated every day of that job for 40 years.”

“WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE RATHER DONE,” I’d ask?

“I wanted to be a Teacher.”

“I wanted to be a Musician.”

“I wanted to be an Artist.”

“I wanted to be a Writer.”

“I wanted to be______________________________.”

Hmmmmmm.         .         .

the pain of the never-to-be-filled-in-blank is intense,

sometimes unbearable.

I usually ask Leadership groups that I facilitate,

“WHO HAS THE BEST JOB IN THIS ROOM?”

HINT:

If the answer isn’t,

“I      D O !”

maybe it would make this next question even more relevant?

What   would   it   take   for   you   to   walk   away   from   your   job?

A certain amount of money?

Severely generous benefits?

Full paid tuition for further education?

Unboundless Security?

N    O    T    H    I    N    G ?

I wonder.    .    .

which answer would completely assure you were in the absolutely,

100% perfect-for-you-job?

.      .      .a true Labor of Love

.      .      .a true Labor of Living?

Pssssssssssssst:

If you’re going to bet your life on something

.     .     .bet it something you’re willing to die for

while  you’re

l          i          v          i          n          g !

Go     All     IN

Bet  The  Farm

BURN     THE     BRIDGE

and use the

L          I          G          H          T

to    go

Y  O  U  R       W  A  Y

 

EAGLED

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WHO ARE YOU ?

It’s a question we get asked all of the time, isn’t it. . .

It’s a question we. . .

WE ASK OURSELVES

. . .A LOT, too, isn’t it?

Does the answer ever

C          H          A          N          G          E   ?

THEY

tell us that our children and most especially our grandchildren will most likely, in their lifetimes, have not just five jobs, but actually

FIVE OR MORE CAREERS !

So if we are

WHO WE ARE

as a profession or how we earn our money or

WHO OUR HEART SCREAMS WE ARE WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS LISTENING OR WATCHING ?

Hint:

You know you’ve been

E      A      G     L     E     D

when you  START   OVER 

. . .especially if it’s not been your choice to do so

We never have a purpose

We never have a reason

We never have a destiny

We never have a meaning

We, out of the very many things, the very many labels, the very many roles, the very many people we actually become and occupy, the absolute one is that we never stay

T   H   E          S   A   M   E

The Eagle doesn’t so much teach us how to soar. . .

so much as

HOW          TO          SOAR          AGAIN

(and here’s the best part)

AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN

If that’s not a celebration of

Labor Day. . .

you quite possibly

have never worked

have never changed,

have never finished/begun again

have never celebrated

have never lived

(enough)

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man