You Got Knocked Down. So What? Get Up!

The world is full of quitters. Some people quit jobs and relationships like changing clothes. At the first sign, or after several signs, of trouble they are ready to pack up and move on. We don’t have staying power anymore. Without staying power, we are unstable and can’t stand up to the slightest struggle.

As a young boy I loved watching college football on Saturday afternoons. I dreamed of one day being a receiver in the NFL. I could catch a ball like nobody’s business. And man, was I fast. So my sights were set high. I knew I was good.

During the summer of transition between junior high and high school, I went to football camp. Just as I thought, I was one of the fastest runners and I could catch anything they threw near me. Even though I was smaller than most of the other players, my confidence was high.

But then the day came to learn defense. With such great offensive skills, what did I need with defensive practice? Up until this point, there had been no defense so all I did was catch and run. But on this day I received my first tackle. What a hit! I really didn’t think it would hurt so much. At that moment, my dream of playing football ended.

I wasn’t prepared for the hits that would inevitably take me down, time and time again. So, I just decided to quit. I couldn’t handle being knocked down.

People quit jobs and relationships because they can’t handle the hard hits. They aren’t prepared to deal with negative consequences to their own mistakes. So what if you messed up at work and got wrote up? You didn’t get fired. So what if you hurt your friend’s feelings and they got mad at you? They didn’t shoot you. Is that a reason to give up?

Every single one of us gets knocked down from time to time. We have the choice of getting up and moving on or we can simply give up. No matter how hard the hits come, getting back up is still an option. If you screwed up at work, do what you can to fix the problem and learn from it so that the next time you are confronted with a similar situation, you’ll know what to do. It doesn’t have to end at the point of takedown.

I could have taken what I learned on the football field that day and grown from it. I could have begun working out and bulking up so that I could withstand the tackles. But instead I chose to be a quitter. You don’t have to quit.

Learn from your mistakes. Grow from them. Just don’t be a quitter. That leads to so much regret in life. Looking back I can see all my misconceptions and failures in fulfilling my dream. Maintain focus on your job, in your relationships, in your dreams and goals. You can make it if you just don’t quit.

Movin' on Up! Rise Above Status-Quo(5 Steps to Promotion)

There are a whole lot of people in this world that have been waiting on a promotion for a long time.  I used to be one of those.  I continually worried myself about moving up the ladder of success.  I’ve worked quite a few jobs, performing a variety of tasks.  But, here I am, 46 years-old and have learned the pathway to advancement and I want to share what I have learned.  My desire is for you to learn from my experiences and from what I have found out by watching others remain stuck in their positions.  If you will take the information I’m about to share with you and apply it to your situation, you may not become top dog at your company but you will be in much better position for your climb to a better life.

If you feel stuck in your present position in the workplace, work these techniques into your approach:

1)       Stop complaining.  This one is first because it is the toughest.  It is so easy to complain about not enough money, or somebody else received the promotion that should have gone to you, or I’m tired of working these hours.  Our complaints are one of the biggest contributors to our lack of advancement.  We find anything and everything to complain about.  We wake up in the morning and dread going to work. ‘I wish I didn’t have to go into that place today.’  ‘I dread what I’m going to have to do or who I’m going to have to deal with.’  That feeling of dread, that doom-and-gloom attitude will bring us down quicker than anything.  We must change our attitude if we want to move up.  Stop complaining about everything.  There is no room for complainers at the top.  When you get up in the morning, make up your mind that it’s going to be a good day.  Make up your mind that whatever you must do on the job will turn out great, simply because you have developed a positive attitude.  Make up your mind that you won’t allow anyone to deter you from this new outlook with their snide remarks and childish behavior.  Whether you realize it or not, your boss is as concerned about your attitude as much as, if not more, than your work.  So, cheer up, think positive, and speak positive.

2)      No matter what you do, do it to the very best of your ability.  When you do just enough to get by, your supervisors are taking notice and look at you as someone who doesn’t care.  And someone who doesn’t care will not be moving into any position of authority or influence.  They will remain right where they have been, unless they are shown the door.  When you put your all into a task or project, you are demonstrating a desire to see your company succeed.  You are proving to the people around you that you care about the quality of your work, which is a direct indication of the quality of life you want to live.  Give it your all and you will be rewarded. 

3)      Show respect to the people around you.  Don’t talk about others who work for the same company and run them into the ground.  Don’t allow the rumor mill to be fueled by your tales of discontent and revenge.  Speak up and defend your co-workers.  Lend a hand if they need help.  Don’t spread anger and spite for your supervisors simply because they made a decision that you didn’t like.  Get over it and move on.  Whether you are dealing with co-workers at ground level or the CEO of the company, display the same amount of respect to both.  Goodness begets goodness, mercy begets mercy, and respect begets respect.

4)      Let it be known, through your actions and your appropriate conversations with management that you are open and willing to learn new things.  That shows them that you have incentive to succeed.  They want to know that you want to build the company rather than just build your checking account.  A company can only grow as much as its employees are willing to grow.  Your willingness to learn demonstrates growth possibility in you.  When asked about work-related ideas or your plans in the future of the company, be honest.  If you are looking to stick around and advance, tell them that.  They want to know who is in it for the long haul.

5)      Finally, become a problem solver.  If there are issues that you may have noticed concerning your job or something around you, don’t be afraid to approach a supervisor and be straight with them; ‘Hey, there is a problem with this machine over here and I may know a way that it can be fixed efficiently without needing to call in a specialist.’  Try that type of approach.  If you can demonstrate a willingness to help the company while saving them money, you have become a problem-solver.  That makes you important to the success of the team.  You become an asset rather than an instigator.

These actions have been invaluable to me.  I have been working for a company for seven years and done everything that has been asked of me.  I have not always been the easiest person to get along with.  I have come close to quitting several times.  But things changed recently because I changed my approach.  I was offered a promotion to a position that I knew nothing about and had no desire to even attempt.  I was angry for the way the ‘opportunity’ was presented to me and I complained like a big baby.  But I came to a decision.  It occurred to me that I wasn’t giving this a chance.  I have been told repeatedly that I had a lot of potential for growth in our company.  So, I made up my mind that I was going to go into this new position with a new attitude.  I decided to attack this job, head-on.  I determined to learn everything I could and grow quickly in knowledge and performance.  I did it.  I put my all into it.  I stopped complaining about the way it was presented to me.  I showed respect for everyone I encountered, both co-workers and customers.  Then, wouldn’t you know, after about two months I was offered another promotion with a substantial raise.  This position was something I was familiar with and the opportunity excited me.  I firmly believe that had my attitude not changed two months earlier, I would not have moved up again. 

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy in this world.  We can talk ourselves out of anything; happiness, peace, job satisfaction, and dreams.  If you want to move up in this life, you must rise above a status-quo mentality.  Stop thinking and acting as if ‘doing just enough to get by’ is good enough.  Living a better life requires an attitude of excellence.  You can do it, if you want to.  Give these steps a try.  You don’t have to do it all at once.  Shucks, start with one step per week and work your way through the other four.  I dare you!

Help! I'm Boxed in and I Can't (won't) Get Out!

At some time in everyone's life we have felt boxed in.  Maybe on a job.  Maybe in a bad relationship. Maybe in ministry.  Or maybe you have come to a place in life where you felt that you were simply stuck with your present circumstances of everyday life.  You know what I mean.  Get up every morning and get ready for work.  Get the kids ready for school.  Eat breakfast.  Go to work.  Come home.  Eat dinner.  Go to bed.  Then get up the next morning and do it all over again.  You're in a rut that you can't climb out of.  Boxed in so that you come to the point where you feel like you're going to explode if something doesn't change in your life.  We've all been there at one time or another.

It's easy to look at our circumstances, at our ruts and boxes and blame them on other people.  We may feel boxed in on our job and 'it's the bosses fault because he won't promote me.'  We may feel boxed in with our current relationship because 'I wouldn't be able to find anyone who would love me like he does', even though abuse has become a ritual.  We may feel boxed in with our ministry because 'That preacher won't let me do what God called me to do', even though you haven't taken any steps to fulfill your calling in your everyday life.  Just because it isn't on a stage does not mean that it's outside your calling.

We place blame on others, when in actuality we are solely responsible for climbing out of our the  boxes.  I know what you are probably thinking - It ain't that easy.  You're right.  It's not easy.  That's why getting out of our boxes and ruts means getting out of our comfort zone.. It means taking steps that seem difficult and stressful.  It means being uncomfortable.  But the effort is so, so, worth it.  Picture this in your mind : A person is sitting in a 3 foot x 3 foot cage.  They continue to sit in that cage, as cramped as it is, even though there is no lock on the door.  They are free to open the door at any time.  But they choose to stay in the cage.  Eventually, his body will begin to conform to the limitations of the cage.  At first, the discomfort will be extremely difficult to manage but as time goes on they will grow accustomed to it.  So, there will come a point where they are satisfied with their condition. 

A conscious decision must be made to climb out of the cage.  On that day, they come out, still disfigured because they remained in the cage for too long.  The pain is excruciating.  But with time they begin to reconfigure themselves to the correct stature.  Then, suddenly, they are standing tall and are able to do what they had been missing out on.  Just like that, we keep ourselves boxed in because we are afraid of the ramifications of our expanding beyond our comfort zones.  We can't blame someone else because our boxes are about us.  We have to choose to get up and out.  We cannot allow ourselves to become stagnant because we are afraid of what could happen on the outside.  Growth does not come without being stretched beyond comfort. 

If you want to climb out of your box, or your rut, you must see yourself outside the box.  I've heard folks say, when you're trying to make a decision, to make 2 lists - one of the advantages and one of disadvantages to your choices.  Well, I agree that you should make those lists.  But, if you plan on ever growing, throw the list of disadvantages in the trash and focus on the advantages.  If you don't, your focus will gravitate toward the disadvantages and before you know it, you won't be able to see yourself doing any better.  And if you can't see it, it won't happen.  Choose to grow.  Choose to climb out, and stay out of the box.  It is totally up to you.  So what if you're afraid.  Choose to conquer your fear. Growing up I was terrified of the thought of flying in an airplane.  But when I was in my 30's, my brother got married in Chicago and asked me to be in the wedding.  I didn't have time to drive so I had to make the choice to fly.  I was scared to death.  But I did it.  There were four legs to the flight, there and back.  Now, I love to fly.  I can't wait to do it again, and I will.  You may have to climb out of your box while afraid, but do it anyway.  When you make the decision to get out of your comfort zone and grow, you will be able to see more clearly into your future.

Get up, get out, get moving, and grow!
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