A life lesson you learned from a job

[FarmerTan]

My biggest lesson that I learnt as a young working lad (I started at 12yo) was that if you don't enjoy your work overall, get out and find work that you do enjoy. You shouldn't work for the money but work for the enjoyment.

If you work for the enjoyment, you will make enough to live on. Why spend a third of you time in life doing something that you don't enjoy?

The wisest advice yet. An old man told me years ago that if you enjoy your job you never work a day in your life. And he was right.

When I found out that I was more unhappy in a place than I was in it, I left.

SOMETHING has to give, and since I was being paid, too often it was my family. I gave more than my all to my patients, to the detriment of my wife and child. They never missed any meals, but they missed much of me. My wife loved me, and never left me, but she tried MANY times to tell me how bad I was getting. God finally had to take my health away to learn the lesson! Thankfully our son is a good man, and I believe a great husband.

But I tell you all: your health and the health of your relationships to God, Family, and even your Friends are much more valuable than a paycheck. Just look at the birds and the flowers. Are you not worth much MORE than they?

 

[Eric_75]

There's another option here, gentlemen. Lather up with Arko, get a nice shave in and finish off with Green Freeze. Happiness follows....

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

How do you keep what you enjoy from just becoming work? What can you do for enjoyment that someone will pay you to do? I never understood this line of thinking. Anything that you MUST do, on a schedule, no matter how enjoyable will become dreadful work. I do not see how it can go otherwise.

I have learned that it is more important to work to live instead of living to work. If home life is miserable I don't care how much someone likes their job, they are still going to be miserable.

 

[FarmerTan]

How do you keep what you enjoy from just becoming work? I do not see how it can go otherwise.

It was just a job, every job, until I became a nurse.

Unfortunately, I never found the "off" switch, and it became my life.

This was where it became a sin, because others (wife and son) had to pay for my choices.

Remember: it is not written anywhere that you must love your work, just that you MUST work.

 

[OkieStubble]

There's another option here, gentlemen. Lather up with Arko, get a nice shave in and finish off with Green Freeze. Happiness follows....

This man is a genius.

 

[OkieStubble]

It was just a job, every job, until I became a nurse.

Unfortunately, I never found the "off" switch, and it became my life.

This was where it became a sin, because others (wife and son) had to pay for my choices.

Remember: it is not written anywhere that you must love your work, just that you MUST work.

I’d traded it all to be a house husband.

 

[TinyTim]

I learned so many invaluable lessons about people from having a newspaper route from ages 12-18. This was in the days when the newspaper carrier went to the customer's door to collect. Some customers were the salt of the earth and always paid on time, were friendly and, more often than not, tipped (especially at Christmas). Others were ornery and acted like they were doing you a favor by paying you. Some customers constantly gave excuses about why they couldn't pay you, asking you to "come back next week", when they gave you the same song and dance. After a few rounds of this, I would tell customers that I only made 10 cents per dollar of their newspaper bill, was required to pay my bill on time, and was losing my income by their procrastination in paying. My newspaper customers were a microcosm of the world.

 

[martym]

I’d traded it all to be a house husband.

Amen!
2 years and a few days and I get to do just that!!

 

[FarmerTan]

Amen!
2 years and a few days and I get to do just that!!

Here's a clue my brother: buy a dishwasher!


Or you WILL have dish pan hands!

 

[rbscebu]

How do you keep what you enjoy from just becoming work? What can you do for enjoyment that someone will pay you to do? I never understood this line of thinking. Anything that you MUST do, on a schedule, no matter how enjoyable will become dreadful work. I do not see how it can go otherwise.

First decide what you like doing. Then you find or make a living out of that. 100% of your work may not be enjoyable but a majority of it should be.

Like shaving? Get into barbering, either as an employee or your own business. Like painting? Get into commercial art. Like reading? Librarian. Travel? Truck driver. You get the idea.

I enjoy solving challenging problems, helping people and mathematics. I became an engineer. Forty years later I still enjoy it. Every day I wake up looking forward to the day's work. Yes, it can be extremely hard and stressful but there is always the challenge.

 

[ylekot]

First decide what you like doing. Then you find or make a living out of that. 100% of your work may not be enjoyable but a majority of it should be.

Like shaving? Get into barbering, either as an employee or your own business. Like painting? Get into commercial art. Like reading? Librarian. Travel? Truck driver. You get the idea.

I enjoy solving challenging problems, helping people and mathematics. I became an engineer. Forty years later I still enjoy it. Every day I wake up looking forward to the day's work. Yes, it can be extremely hard and stressful but there is always the challenge.

I'm just burned out crispy both mentally and physically, no joy.

 

[luvmysuper]

I'm just burned out crispy both mentally and physically, no joy.

The last year or two has been a major, royal pain in the rear end for a lot of people.
Work was so messed up, and vacations and holidays were out the window. We're facing rising prices and falling income, so it's no surprise or wonder that some folks may be feeling a little burn out.
Try to remember that if nothing else, you're certainly in good company, we're all feeling it in one way or another.
Try to focus and take some joy in the small things around you. A quiet cup of coffee in the morning, a nice looking sunrise, the kindness of a loved one, a friend, or even a family pet.
There's a great big brotherhood right here pulling for you.

 

[PintoPlain]

Lessons I have learned over the years.

If you break it, fix it. If you can't fix it, get someone who can. I've seen too many instances where someone tried to hide a mistake only for it to be discovered later and a lot of work redone causing huge delays and expense.

Admit when you're wrong or have messed up. Let your ego take the hit, learn the lessons and move on. You won't make the same mistake again.

Some people are just not worth the effort. Ignore them when you can and tolerate them when you can't ignore them.

Just because someone is in a position of authority or management, doesn't necessarily mean they have a clue about the job.

To most employers you are just a number in the expenses column.

 

[timetofly]

The wisest advice yet. An old man told me years ago that if you enjoy your job you never work a day in your life. And he was right.



But I tell you all: your health and the health of your relationships to God, Family, and even your Friends are much more valuable than a paycheck. Just look at the birds and the flowers. Are you not worth much MORE than they?

First quote = Work like you don't need the money.

Second quote = Great summation! If you have your health, you have your wealth.

 

[timetofly]

Let me start us off.

I was in high school working construction in the summer, really as a go-fer more than anything else. But it gave me exposure to how a house is built as well as how a small business is run.

One day I was hammering nails as we were putting up drywall. All of us had a nail apron around our waist, hammer in hand. (This was way before nail guns.) I still have the hammer, seen here. Occasionally I would drop a nail and, of course, pick it up. After a time the owner came over to me and said, "I am not paying you to pick up nails. If you drop it just get another out of your apron."

That little comment translates to many aspects of life. One way to generalize it is:

"Know where your time is best spent."

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Reminds me of the story where there was a new construction guy on the job nailing up siding. Every so often he would throw a nail over his shoulder. His boss walks over to him and asks why he was doing this. The new worker said "The nail heads are on the wrong side, and they are for the other side of the building."

Love the Estwing hammer, by the way. Proudly made in the town in which I was born and raised.

 

[Eric_75]

Work like you don't need the money.

And love like you'll never get hurt

 

[Whisky]

Measure twice, cut once. Works for other situations besides lumber.

There’s no such thing as a “board stretcher.”

 

[FarmerTan]

Measure twice, cut once. Works for other situations besides lumber.

There’s no such thing as a “board stretcher.”

My Dad always ALWAYS used to say, "I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Ha. I'd pay cash money to hear him say that one more time.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I've been on vacation for the last couple weeks, so I am just getting caught up. Best lesson I have learned is never ignore the advice of the older more experienced Soldiers. It might save your life one day.

 

[timetofly]

Measure twice, cut once. Works for other situations besides lumber.

There’s no such thing as a “board stretcher.”

However, I have seen a Board stretch the truth.