Are Things Slowing Down at Work?
Things are slowing down at work these last two weeks of August. Is that true for you? For me, everything even "feels" slower. It's like this every year.
Besides a lot of people taking off for vacation for all or part of these two weeks, I'm noticing how the sun rises later in the morning. It's been doing that every since the longest day of the year (the first day of summer) of course, but this is when I start to really notice it. And sometimes when it stays darker, I think about stuff that I don't always thing about for some reason. So here are some of those thoughts.
Frankly, not a lot goes on in the world. Either that or the media sort of takes a nap. Even in this presidential election year, politics slows down, or at least the media can't find all that much that's interesting to talk about.
Of course, if you're a teacher (or a student) you probably will be starting the new school year soon. Or maybe you have to bring a kid to college somewhere far away. But those are exceptions.
I find it a blessed relief. The only other time that's so slow at work is around Christmas and New Year's Day. I'm not taking off the whole two weeks, but I'll probably take a few days off here and there. Of course, when you run your own business, getting away for a long stretch can be a challenge. But a few days won't be the end of the world.
Even if you don't take off, when things slow down it's a good time to think, like I said. You can think more at work. Without the usual pressures of requests or demands from clients and bosses, and the deadlines those requests and demands bring, I can take a step back and assess how my work's been going so far this year.
Of course, the first thing that pops into mind this year is how this economy continues to just drag along. Friends and colleagues who aren't out of work feel the heat. They're either worried about the future and whether they'll still have a job or they're suffering loss of income because commissions and bonuses are lighter. And the thing is there's no end in sight to this slow economy. You can see the anxiety, even depression, that some of them are going through.
And it's not like I don't feel the pinch myself. I can't say that I'm particularly anxious, and (thank God) I'm not depressed or even close to it, but the fact is business is slow and prospects are kind of gloomy.
So maybe the first thing to think about during these two weeks is how blessed I really am. I can take extra time to really thank God for all his blessings, including the fact that, while business could be better, I'm doing work that I enjoy. Not everyone I know does.
If you don't enjoy your work, maybe it's a good time to think about changing what you do. Yes, I realize it's a tough economy, but it's not like there are no jobs out there at all. At least you can spend some time talking to people you know about other careers that you might enjoy more. Maybe you create a plan for pursuing some other career that you'll find more meaningful or fulfilling.
On the other hand, you might even think about whether the whole idea of "enjoying" your work is so important. After all, men lived for centuries without having much of choice about what they were going to do for a living. It's only in the last couple of centuries, with the increased prosperity that's come from the Industrial Revolution and the new technologies that have arisen, that we've even had leisure time to think about this stuff. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to do work that's meaningful and fulfilling, or that it's wrong to want to do that. But if right now you're doing work that's not all that inspiring, it's not the end of the world.
And if you are going to think about pursuing other work, this is really a good time to do it right by starting off with prayer. And not just "formal" prayer. Go ahead and talk to God about this. Talk to Him as a loving Father who cares very much about you, because that's exactly what He is. And when I say "talk to Him," it means just talk normally. Let Him know exactly what's bothering you; let Him know what you're thinking of doing about it. And while you're doing that, let Him know that His will is what really matters. You want to do His will, right? Tell Him that.
God loves us and by speaking to Him as a loving Father, we're telling Him both that we know He loves us and that we love Him. There's nothing more important than this.
Anyway, there's more to think about during these last two weeks of August, so if it's OK with you I might share some more thoughts along these lines with you next time...
Besides a lot of people taking off for vacation for all or part of these two weeks, I'm noticing how the sun rises later in the morning. It's been doing that every since the longest day of the year (the first day of summer) of course, but this is when I start to really notice it. And sometimes when it stays darker, I think about stuff that I don't always thing about for some reason. So here are some of those thoughts.
Frankly, not a lot goes on in the world. Either that or the media sort of takes a nap. Even in this presidential election year, politics slows down, or at least the media can't find all that much that's interesting to talk about.
Of course, if you're a teacher (or a student) you probably will be starting the new school year soon. Or maybe you have to bring a kid to college somewhere far away. But those are exceptions.
I find it a blessed relief. The only other time that's so slow at work is around Christmas and New Year's Day. I'm not taking off the whole two weeks, but I'll probably take a few days off here and there. Of course, when you run your own business, getting away for a long stretch can be a challenge. But a few days won't be the end of the world.
Even if you don't take off, when things slow down it's a good time to think, like I said. You can think more at work. Without the usual pressures of requests or demands from clients and bosses, and the deadlines those requests and demands bring, I can take a step back and assess how my work's been going so far this year.
Of course, the first thing that pops into mind this year is how this economy continues to just drag along. Friends and colleagues who aren't out of work feel the heat. They're either worried about the future and whether they'll still have a job or they're suffering loss of income because commissions and bonuses are lighter. And the thing is there's no end in sight to this slow economy. You can see the anxiety, even depression, that some of them are going through.
And it's not like I don't feel the pinch myself. I can't say that I'm particularly anxious, and (thank God) I'm not depressed or even close to it, but the fact is business is slow and prospects are kind of gloomy.
So maybe the first thing to think about during these two weeks is how blessed I really am. I can take extra time to really thank God for all his blessings, including the fact that, while business could be better, I'm doing work that I enjoy. Not everyone I know does.
If you don't enjoy your work, maybe it's a good time to think about changing what you do. Yes, I realize it's a tough economy, but it's not like there are no jobs out there at all. At least you can spend some time talking to people you know about other careers that you might enjoy more. Maybe you create a plan for pursuing some other career that you'll find more meaningful or fulfilling.
On the other hand, you might even think about whether the whole idea of "enjoying" your work is so important. After all, men lived for centuries without having much of choice about what they were going to do for a living. It's only in the last couple of centuries, with the increased prosperity that's come from the Industrial Revolution and the new technologies that have arisen, that we've even had leisure time to think about this stuff. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to do work that's meaningful and fulfilling, or that it's wrong to want to do that. But if right now you're doing work that's not all that inspiring, it's not the end of the world.
And if you are going to think about pursuing other work, this is really a good time to do it right by starting off with prayer. And not just "formal" prayer. Go ahead and talk to God about this. Talk to Him as a loving Father who cares very much about you, because that's exactly what He is. And when I say "talk to Him," it means just talk normally. Let Him know exactly what's bothering you; let Him know what you're thinking of doing about it. And while you're doing that, let Him know that His will is what really matters. You want to do His will, right? Tell Him that.
God loves us and by speaking to Him as a loving Father, we're telling Him both that we know He loves us and that we love Him. There's nothing more important than this.
Anyway, there's more to think about during these last two weeks of August, so if it's OK with you I might share some more thoughts along these lines with you next time...
Comments