New Year's Resolutions at Work - Part 2
We're back to New Year's resolutions after our digression into "opportunity cost" last time. So here's that more modest sort of resolution I mentioned, the idea of looking for and taking advantage of small or little opportunities. After we look at two examples in business, we'll see how the same attention to small or little opportunities can enhance our spiritual lives. (Oh, and keep in mind our discussion about opportunity cost. You'll soon see why.)
The reason I like this idea of taking advantage of small opportunities is that I think anyone can do this. You don't need to get an MBA, employ great sales skills, be "driven" by ambition, be one of those "Type A" personalities or possess any of the other grand characterizations that you find in all those business books that tell you how need to change yourself to be more "successful." You just need to be vigilant, on the look out for those opportunities that present themselves each day, most of which probably pass unnoticed. Great big impactful ideas don't come all that often, but there will be lots of little ideas that add to the effort. Look for these on an ongoing basis; you'll find them if you look. A simple example:
An accountant I know delivers his client's tax return in a neat folder, along with a simple explanation of how he incorporated the information the client provided to reduce taxes due as much as reasonably possible, along with checklist of items he includes when he delivers his client's tax return, for example, "1040, Schedule A (deduction) Schedule C (business income), Schedule D (investment gains and losses)." There's nothing he does for his client , or in the list he provides, that any other accountant doesn't also do or provide. But it looks impressive and clients love it. It doesn't take but a few minutes to print out the explanation and checklist. The folder isn't expensive, but it has an "organized" look and feel to it. So there's a little, simple idea used most effectively to set this accountant apart from his competition and create grateful, loyal customers.
Another idea: An employee of a company I know is extraordinarily conscientious about keeping his boss totally informed about his activities. He does this via e-mail, his boss's stated preference. As a result, his position has remained secure in the midst of a lot of change and turmoil. I asked if his efforts were extraordinary and he told me that few others bother to keep the boss informed as she prefers, despite her having made it clear that this was her preference and therefore ought to be a priority for those who report to her. Responding to her preference doesn't take any special skill or talent or training, does it? Yet few do it. It's a small thing that's paying off in a big way for this wise employee.
Think about some simple, small opportunities in your own area. You'll find them if you put in the effort.
Now we can turn to small opportunities that will advance our spiritual progress. Again, you don't need any special skills or talents here; you don't have to be a saint. Anyone can take advantage of small opportunities and here's why: it's not because of us - it's because of God.
A wise Benedictine Abbot once explained that God constantly showers us with many little opportunities to perform meritorious action in order to draw us closer to Him. The mere ability to see our faults, for example, is a grace, and if we humbly accept that grace with a contrite heart, He will give us the grace to desire to correct them, as well as the necessary strength to fulfill our good intentions and overcome those faults. Thinking about this, you'll see that we're looking at a kind of "chain" of graces: first the grace to see our faults, then the grace to correct them. God provides the graces, but it's up to us to accept them.
Recalling our discussion of opportunity cost, think of what happens if we refuse to accept God's graces. By refusing God's grace today, we're actually refusing a whole series of graces as our previous simple example illustrates. For most of us, this means not ignoring those tiny opportunities to exercise self-control. We might exercise self-control throughout the day by little mortifications, by avoiding gossip in the office, by making the effort to be charitable to people who annoy us. They become like little grains of wheat that make up the bushel. At each turn, God provides the grace we need, which leads to more opportunities and more grace.
So if you're looking for a simple, realistic resolution for 2014, look no further than grabbing those simple, everyday, unassuming, little opportunities that lie here, there and everywhere, all around us - if we only make the effort to see them.
The reason I like this idea of taking advantage of small opportunities is that I think anyone can do this. You don't need to get an MBA, employ great sales skills, be "driven" by ambition, be one of those "Type A" personalities or possess any of the other grand characterizations that you find in all those business books that tell you how need to change yourself to be more "successful." You just need to be vigilant, on the look out for those opportunities that present themselves each day, most of which probably pass unnoticed. Great big impactful ideas don't come all that often, but there will be lots of little ideas that add to the effort. Look for these on an ongoing basis; you'll find them if you look. A simple example:
An accountant I know delivers his client's tax return in a neat folder, along with a simple explanation of how he incorporated the information the client provided to reduce taxes due as much as reasonably possible, along with checklist of items he includes when he delivers his client's tax return, for example, "1040, Schedule A (deduction) Schedule C (business income), Schedule D (investment gains and losses)." There's nothing he does for his client , or in the list he provides, that any other accountant doesn't also do or provide. But it looks impressive and clients love it. It doesn't take but a few minutes to print out the explanation and checklist. The folder isn't expensive, but it has an "organized" look and feel to it. So there's a little, simple idea used most effectively to set this accountant apart from his competition and create grateful, loyal customers.
Another idea: An employee of a company I know is extraordinarily conscientious about keeping his boss totally informed about his activities. He does this via e-mail, his boss's stated preference. As a result, his position has remained secure in the midst of a lot of change and turmoil. I asked if his efforts were extraordinary and he told me that few others bother to keep the boss informed as she prefers, despite her having made it clear that this was her preference and therefore ought to be a priority for those who report to her. Responding to her preference doesn't take any special skill or talent or training, does it? Yet few do it. It's a small thing that's paying off in a big way for this wise employee.
Think about some simple, small opportunities in your own area. You'll find them if you put in the effort.
Now we can turn to small opportunities that will advance our spiritual progress. Again, you don't need any special skills or talents here; you don't have to be a saint. Anyone can take advantage of small opportunities and here's why: it's not because of us - it's because of God.
A wise Benedictine Abbot once explained that God constantly showers us with many little opportunities to perform meritorious action in order to draw us closer to Him. The mere ability to see our faults, for example, is a grace, and if we humbly accept that grace with a contrite heart, He will give us the grace to desire to correct them, as well as the necessary strength to fulfill our good intentions and overcome those faults. Thinking about this, you'll see that we're looking at a kind of "chain" of graces: first the grace to see our faults, then the grace to correct them. God provides the graces, but it's up to us to accept them.
Recalling our discussion of opportunity cost, think of what happens if we refuse to accept God's graces. By refusing God's grace today, we're actually refusing a whole series of graces as our previous simple example illustrates. For most of us, this means not ignoring those tiny opportunities to exercise self-control. We might exercise self-control throughout the day by little mortifications, by avoiding gossip in the office, by making the effort to be charitable to people who annoy us. They become like little grains of wheat that make up the bushel. At each turn, God provides the grace we need, which leads to more opportunities and more grace.
So if you're looking for a simple, realistic resolution for 2014, look no further than grabbing those simple, everyday, unassuming, little opportunities that lie here, there and everywhere, all around us - if we only make the effort to see them.
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