Kudos For A Job Well Done..

Those of us that choose to live rural or own a home know that our work is never done.  There is always something to update or repair, lawns to mow, trees to trim, etc. We keep a never-ending to do list and try to cross off as many things as we can. This is a post not only about us, but about work, the men and women that do it, and the celebration when it is complete.

I will begin with a story that starts several weeks ago when we started phase one of a multi-phase job. We had a tree approximately forty-five to fifty feet tall that needed to be taken down. So I on a tractor and another with chainsaw in hand took to completing our task. With a little ingenuity We laid that tree precisely where we wanted it and began cutting it in large lengths. Then we hauled the large pieces to an area in preparation for phase two and smaller unusable pieces to an area for destruction. Phase two happened on a couple different days that I did not partake in. It consisted of sawing those large pieces into smaller, more manageable pieces for splitting. Phase three began at seventy-three degrees in the morning hours a day or so ago. It was the splitting, loading, unloading, and stacking phase. For those that might not know wood gets stacked in piles and left to cure for about a year before it is dry enough for use. So four or five hours later at ninety degrees (heat index of one hundred and two), phase three was complete. A little tired and definitely hot, I stood there looking at the stacked pile feeling a sense of accomplishment, a sense of self-satisfaction for a job well done. A much-needed rest followed before trying to tackle the next task.

So if you, like me, have put your time and effort into completing a task at hand today, whether or not you were paid for it, step back and pat yourself on the back. Take a deep breath and feel that same feeling of self-satisfaction for your job well done. It is time that we celebrate those moments in ourselves and in each other. And as we celebrate, a few things that maybe we can keep in mind as we do so are to follow:

First, that there is no job or task that is too small for us to feel that sense of accomplishment. As a matter of fact a friend of mine just reminded me of this. He mentioned to me that there had been an event at which one of the speakers spoke about accomplishing tasks. With a little research, I found that the speaker was Admiral McRaven, a navy seal. The admiral spoke at the University of Texas at Austin’s graduation commencement in 2014. Here is an excerpt from his speech: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.” Even if that task, making your bed, is the only task you did today, take pride in the fact that you accomplished something and imagine what tomorrow could bring if you add in more. And the days full of task accomplishments are ones for all of us to relish in and aim to repeat.

Second, it matters not the job you do, whether it be sending a rocket to the moon or cleaning public toilets, it matters that you do that job with care and integrity. A long time ago I had a dish washing job and one of the kitchen staff did not show up for work. The chef asked me to step in and help. That day she taught me a valuable lesson. She told me “do not put anything on the plate that you would not want to put in your mouth and eat.” I have never forgotten those words and have tried to apply them in my work situations since. Over the years I have had to train other staff members and have tried to pass on this same valuable lesson. I tell them what I was told and how I have incorporated it into every job I have ever had. Beginning with, if you wouldn’t want to eat off a dirty plate, then make sure that you clean every plate well. Right up to, if you wouldn’t want to sit on a dirty toilet, then make sure it is clean before and after you use it. Luckily, those are all jobs in the past, but I think you understand my point.

Lastly, as we go about our busy day, we should not fail to recognize a job well done and thank the person who did it. While some may not need this recognition from us as their work ethic allows them to be self-satisfied, others might need the affirmation that they have done a good job before they can recognize it in themselves. Either way it always warms the heart when we are thanked for our efforts and feel appreciated. So lest we forget what it feels like when we are appreciated, maybe we can pass that feeling on to others who may need it in their daily grind. Here is hoping someone thanks you today and maybe today you will tell us all what task you completed that filled you with pride. That way we can all appreciate a job well done and celebrate it.