How to Handle Problems at Work - Part 2
So we've established that it's (generally) best to handle problems at work in a swift and thorough fashion. Having covered some exceptions to this, let's circle back to the problem we originally noted: back pain. We used it as a clear example of why it's generally impossible to separate problems at work and personal problems. So how would you deal with back pain?
First, we distinguish between chronic and temporary back pain. Some of us (count me in) have chronic issues with our backs. In fact, it's a pretty common problem. But whether your problem is chronic or more of a temporary phenomenon, it's still best to address it forthwith. What to do? Well, since I'm not a doctor, I can only speak from personal experience. When my chronic back pain first manifested itself, it prevented me from working (only briefly, thank God). So addressing it right away was my only option. I chose to enlist the services of a chiropractor. He got me up and about. On my end, I tried certain stretches and exercises. The problem didn't go away, but it was manageable to a great degree. Over the years the length and intensity of flare-ups has subsided somewhat. Attacking the problem swiftly was only step one. Continuing to manage it with various stretches and exercises over the years yielded some increasing degree of success.
This example serves as an illustration of that category of problem we might call "chronic" or ongoing. If the color palette we used last time helped illustrate the overall connection between various problems and our business and personl lives, this image of a color spectrum might serve to illustrate the ongoing nature of chronic problems:
They keep going.
The lesson here: Some problems can be attacked, but will keep coming back. While you'd love to make them go away once and for all, sometimes that's not possible. A difficult colleague at work might be another example of this. I've worked with some people whom I'd hoped would just find another job and disappear. Alas, that didn't happen. They, and the problems they generated by their attitude and less than stellar work habits, continued. In such situations, I've found varying solutions that typically included patience, avoidance, prayer, and other nostrums.
One final thought about chronic problems: Even though they hang around, I've found it best not to think of them as a huge wet blanket that stifle your entire existence. Typically they ebb and flow, wax and wane. When they emerge - or sometimes erupt - from time to time, attack them swiftly as you would any typical single, discreet problem. Keep attacking, no matter the frequency, and pray for the grace of persistence to help keep you bolstered.
Which brings us to a connection with our spiritual lives. Given the fact that we're all sinners, subject to temptation, with the resultant occasional (or more than occasional) slips and falls, we face, let's face it, a constant flow of sin in our lives. Ideally, this flow will consist only (or, please God, mostly) of venial sins. Father Alfred Wilson has written about this at length. He offers suggestions on how to handle this problematic stream of sin in his opus Pardon and Peace. I thought the following passage particularly relevant given our discussion of how to handle problems:
“There were two housekeepers, one of whom had the strange notion that it was not permissible to do any cleaning or dusting except on Saturdays. Her home was always dirty and unsightly, and she was confronted with a formidable task every Saturday morning. Because of the untidy state of home, she was ashamed to invite friends to visit her and full of apologies and excuses if someone dropped in on her, uninvited. The other woman wisely did some cleaning, dusting and polishing during the week, as need arose. Her home was always neat and clean and Saturday was an easy day. If we restrict spiritual housework to one day per week or per month, it will hardly be surprising if we find the task dismaying and laborious. Worst of all, we shall be ashamed to invite our Divine Friend into our dirty and disorderly home. Not unnaturally we shall feel that a spiritual spring-cleaning is necessary before we can respectfully issue such an invitation. Let us repair venial sins at once, and aim at keeping our souls spotless, so that there may be nothing in us to impede the operation of grace or make Our Lord look upon us with less pleasure. The habit of deleting venial sins, as soon as we become conscious of them, will conduce to peace of mind and sensitiveness to sin.” - Fr. Alfred Wilson, C.P (Pardon and Peace, 1946)
So there it is. We should develop the habit of addressing problems vigorously as they arise. In the same way, let's develop the habit of addressing our venial sins as they arise as well. In his book, Father takes us through this idea in great detail. I hope to post more on this important subject. For now, though, time to get to work.
First, we distinguish between chronic and temporary back pain. Some of us (count me in) have chronic issues with our backs. In fact, it's a pretty common problem. But whether your problem is chronic or more of a temporary phenomenon, it's still best to address it forthwith. What to do? Well, since I'm not a doctor, I can only speak from personal experience. When my chronic back pain first manifested itself, it prevented me from working (only briefly, thank God). So addressing it right away was my only option. I chose to enlist the services of a chiropractor. He got me up and about. On my end, I tried certain stretches and exercises. The problem didn't go away, but it was manageable to a great degree. Over the years the length and intensity of flare-ups has subsided somewhat. Attacking the problem swiftly was only step one. Continuing to manage it with various stretches and exercises over the years yielded some increasing degree of success.
This example serves as an illustration of that category of problem we might call "chronic" or ongoing. If the color palette we used last time helped illustrate the overall connection between various problems and our business and personl lives, this image of a color spectrum might serve to illustrate the ongoing nature of chronic problems:
The lesson here: Some problems can be attacked, but will keep coming back. While you'd love to make them go away once and for all, sometimes that's not possible. A difficult colleague at work might be another example of this. I've worked with some people whom I'd hoped would just find another job and disappear. Alas, that didn't happen. They, and the problems they generated by their attitude and less than stellar work habits, continued. In such situations, I've found varying solutions that typically included patience, avoidance, prayer, and other nostrums.
One final thought about chronic problems: Even though they hang around, I've found it best not to think of them as a huge wet blanket that stifle your entire existence. Typically they ebb and flow, wax and wane. When they emerge - or sometimes erupt - from time to time, attack them swiftly as you would any typical single, discreet problem. Keep attacking, no matter the frequency, and pray for the grace of persistence to help keep you bolstered.
Which brings us to a connection with our spiritual lives. Given the fact that we're all sinners, subject to temptation, with the resultant occasional (or more than occasional) slips and falls, we face, let's face it, a constant flow of sin in our lives. Ideally, this flow will consist only (or, please God, mostly) of venial sins. Father Alfred Wilson has written about this at length. He offers suggestions on how to handle this problematic stream of sin in his opus Pardon and Peace. I thought the following passage particularly relevant given our discussion of how to handle problems:
“There were two housekeepers, one of whom had the strange notion that it was not permissible to do any cleaning or dusting except on Saturdays. Her home was always dirty and unsightly, and she was confronted with a formidable task every Saturday morning. Because of the untidy state of home, she was ashamed to invite friends to visit her and full of apologies and excuses if someone dropped in on her, uninvited. The other woman wisely did some cleaning, dusting and polishing during the week, as need arose. Her home was always neat and clean and Saturday was an easy day. If we restrict spiritual housework to one day per week or per month, it will hardly be surprising if we find the task dismaying and laborious. Worst of all, we shall be ashamed to invite our Divine Friend into our dirty and disorderly home. Not unnaturally we shall feel that a spiritual spring-cleaning is necessary before we can respectfully issue such an invitation. Let us repair venial sins at once, and aim at keeping our souls spotless, so that there may be nothing in us to impede the operation of grace or make Our Lord look upon us with less pleasure. The habit of deleting venial sins, as soon as we become conscious of them, will conduce to peace of mind and sensitiveness to sin.” - Fr. Alfred Wilson, C.P (Pardon and Peace, 1946)
So there it is. We should develop the habit of addressing problems vigorously as they arise. In the same way, let's develop the habit of addressing our venial sins as they arise as well. In his book, Father takes us through this idea in great detail. I hope to post more on this important subject. For now, though, time to get to work.
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