Self Dignity
When it comes to self enhancement in the workplace, you need to change your attitude. So what does that mean? Does it mean to work harder, work longer, take on extra responsibility, take on more training, kiss butt, etc.? Absolutely not.
Just recently, I had some foundation work done on my home. It took a crew of workers four days to complete. Now, during that time, what if I were to have gone outside of my house and told the workers they needed to work longer each day, get the job finished quicker, do a better job than ever, and also produce some six sigma cost savings for me so I can get a refund at the end of the job? I seriously don’t think any of those things would happen. Well, your employer does. Sound familar?
People as a whole need to realize that doing $2 worth of work for $1 is imposing on their civil liberties. It’s one thing to put in extra hours and effort for a financial reward, but it’s another when it’s for someone else’s financial reward. Yet the general public herd always approaches their jobs with the perception of wanting to get ahead of their coworkers and reducing their chances of being layed off if the ax were to fall on the workforce. So with these two things, people end up doing extra work for free. It’s gotten so bad, that corporations have gotten people to act thankful every year during performance review time just to hear that they might not get layed off next fiscal year. That’s the raises they give now. But if you are an over-achiever, you just might get that 2% raise.
You can’t live your life like that any more. You need more time outside of work to do what you want in life. With that extra time, you can do the things to build on your self enhancement. If this puts you further up the line of being part of the group that gets the ax during lay-offs, then so be it. If you can develop that attitude that you are worth something, and that you are employable, and nothing can stop you, then you won’t be worried a bit to get layed off. In fact, lay-offs to you will mean getting a severance check which is a chunk of cash. Once you collect that chunk of cash, you get another job.
I recently read an article about a guy that lost his good paying job at a good company because he refused to take “diversity” training. I was inspired to hear that. He had been there quite a few years, and he had decided that “diversity” training discriminated against him and wasn’t going to give in to the corporate suits. Whether you agree with his viewpoint or not shouldn’t matter, what does matter is that he stuck to his principles. People need to stand up for themselves. I hear people gripe and complain when some college football team loses a game or a new athletic director is hired, but yet I don’t hear a word when once again no raises are given out after going above and beyond to complete a project for someone else’s bonus check. Self enhancement begins with sticking to your principles within reason. If you really feel you are being exploited, if you really feel you are doing much extra for no reward, then put a stop to it. Don’t let someone else violate your civil liberties so they can enhance theirs with a larger bonus check. Gain some self dignity and use your energy towards something else where the rewards are equal to the effort.
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