Workmatters Blog

Growing up, we had a tree in my yard that would produce delicious tangerines each year. Do you know what I never saw that tree do? Hoard the fruit for itself. Why? Because that’s not the purpose of a fruit tree. A fruit tree exists to share its fruit with others.

Conflict can lead to low productivity, high employee turnover, burnout, low net promoter scores, and a lack of connection and engagement in our work. Therefore, how we address and resolve conflict is extremely important. 

I learned about the Don’t Break the Chain method of productivity in 2012 and it has weaved itself in and out of my bullet journals, trackers, and planners ever since. Physically marking off that you completed a habit gives you a jolt of dopamine, a sense of accomplishment, and seeing the chain grow encourages the sustenance of the habit.

Going back to work as new parents, having our whole lives changed, was a huge adjustment. There were so many new things we had to consider and work around with a new baby and new responsibilities, while also having to transition back into the workplace.  

I recently finished a great read, Dane C. Ortlund’s “Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.” I learned so much from this work, not just for my own personal walk with Christ, but also in the way that I treat and interact with others. 

Every interaction we have with others is an opportunity to spread love, acceptance, and compassion. Whether it was through his simple acts of kindness, his affirming words, or his gentle teaching, Mister Rogers touched countless lives, reminding us that influence is not limited to grand gestures, but rather it can thrive in the everyday moments.

What is your calling? 

Think about that question for a moment. When you think of someone who “has a calling,” who do you envision? What type of work are they doing? Do you think about someone running a food pantry? An orphanage? Someone finding a solution to the water crisis? What about your hairdresser or barber? Your child’s teacher? The CEO of a fortune 500 company? 

Balance matters in our work, and because our work is biblical, so should our pursuit of balance.

Your role is not to save the world, but there are things that only you can do. Things that you were uniquely designed to do. Things that God planned in advance for you to do.

When we get caught up wondering if our work is excellent, if it’s the best that it can be, we need to make sure we’re not defining it by the world’s definition of that word.