Focusing on Fundamentals During Advent
(A re-post to help us work our way through Advent.)
This year we'll start the Advent Season focusing on fundamentals.
Whether employer or employee, focusing on fundamentals gives us a chance
to improve the skills that will help us perfect our work. If things
aren't going so well at the moment, refocusing on fundamentals
frequently helps you turn things around. Even when things are going
well, developing the habit of improving your fundamentals will prevent
your becoming lazy or sloppy in your work - a pattern which will
eventually result in things not going so well.
No matter what sort of work you do, there's some set of basic
fundamentals that could use some refreshing. For example, for football
players, it's blocking and tackling; for musicians it's playing scales.
Identify those fundamentals that form the foundation of your own work.
Here's an example from my own business:
As a service business, we need to be certain that every client receives
the response and attention appropriate to the level of service for which
they pay. We just spent the best part of the last year identifying and
organizing those common and recurring tasks that comprise the
fundamental parts of our business. These were broken down daily, weekly,
monthly, etc. Each will be served
up to us on our calendar so that we attend to them on a timely basis.
This system provides a palpable way to faithfully execute the
fundamentals that ensure success in delivering our service consistently
at the highest level.
In our spiritual lives, the Holy Season of Advent begins a new
Liturgical Year. The Church's liturgy will focus on the fundamentals of
the history of our salvation beginning with we those centuries of
yearning for the Messiah by God's Chosen People. In a couple of weeks,
John the Baptist arrives on the scene and calls on us to repent, to
renew our lives as we look forward to His coming. In the days before
Christmas, we'll recall the visit of the angel Gabriel to Our Blessed
Mother, reliving the thrill of hearing her respond to Gabriel: "Be it
done unto me according to thy word." Our Lady's willing acceptance of
God's plan for our salvation through the mystery of the Incarnation
inspires each of us to likewise accept His plan for us as we work our
way towards Heaven each day.
And so as we begin the new liturgical year with the Season of Advent, I
thought we might focus on a particular virtue whose increase might
benefit us the most in both our work lives and our spiritual lives:
humility. I can't think of a more important virtue we Catholic men at
work might cultivate, especially as we strive for success each day. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines humility
Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed to pride and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things above our strength and ability.St Benedict, in His Rule considers the the virtue of humility of central importance in the work of his monks, especially as it opposes the terrible and all-too-common vice of pride:
If there be skilled workmen in the monastery, let them work at their art in all humility, if the Abbot giveth his permission. But if anyone of them should grow proud by reason of his art, in that he seemeth to confer a benefit on the monastery, let him be removed from that work and not return to it, unless after he hath humbled himself...I'm sure you can see that the same can be applied to us in our work.
Finally, our Lord Himself, in His human nature, spoke of His own humility:
"Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls" (Matthew 11:29)With all this as background, I hope you'll join me in exploring this all-important virtue as we Catholic men at work prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior during this Holy Season of Advent. And as we pray each Advent,
Comments