day 536: The Distant Future

Part and parcel to working is the concern and thinking about our future and our career plan. It's a funny thing that we feel like with our work that we have to be thinking not only about our current job, but also about the next one and the one after that and that we get advice to be planning our career at all times. What can happen though is that we become so caught up in the thinking about the distant future that we lose the perspective of the job we are in and being sure that we do the current job well and get the most from the experience, etc. We are not good at living in the moment and being very objective about our current jobs as ones that we can enjoy and from which we can gain great satisfaction. I have a friend who is never in the moment in his job. He is always thinking and talking about the next job and what he can do to further his career and he has little to no regard for the ramifications of him always focusing on the distant future. He can't see that he is not giving his all to the company where he now works, is not investing in the people around him like they need and want him to do, and drives his friends and his family a bit crazy with not settling down. I am not sure what it is that drives this distant future focus versus living and working in the present, but he is not alone in this. Many people are like this. As I was reading the book of Ezekiel, God gives Ezekiel many instructions on what to tell the different countries and leaders about what is going to happen to them in the distant future. This is where the words "distant future" struck me as we cannot ignore what is coming and we must plan and be cognizant of the future, but we can't obsess on it either and miss the life that we have been put here to live. Being present for those around us and being okay in the job we are in today can yield many benefits and positives. Today, as you go through your day, think about how much time you are spending truly in the present and getting the most from it, versus worrying and obsessing about the distant future. It may well be that today, if focused on, could be of such value and worth that it blocks out all concern of the distant future.

Reference: Ezekiel

day 199: Space Planning

As I was recently sitting in an airport, I saw a woman who was looking over what was clearly office space planning drawings. I could see the layout of the floor plan and where the cubicles and offices would be lined up and it was obvious that there was a fair amount of time and effort going into ensuring that each workstation had enough room and that the floors were laid out correctly. Today there are professionals who do nothing but this exercise for a living. They take the people and work needs and then try and fit in as many work stations as possible for the greatest work-flow and efficiencies. It seems easy on the surface but the hardest part of space planning are the “social issues”. Social issues are the human (and sometimes petty) influences that creep into the decision making process. Consideration items like; size of footprint of the work space versus the position and title of the person, privacy needs either real or perceived, proximity to the windows, who can hear who and what, who wants to sit next to who and who doesn’t, who gets the new furniture and who keeps their old furniture, will someone be hot or cold in their new area and do they care or not, and the list can go and on. This is the way of work. Moving and changing someone’s workspace can be one of the most time-consuming efforts because as the old adage goes, “the only people who like change are wet babies”. What you learn in space planning is the importance of keeping and knowing the small details and needs of people always front of mind. Like so many times in business, one size fits one, not one size fits all and when we recognize and appreciate this, we are just better at being managers, peers and subordinates. It’s the individual appreciation of giving each person “the space” they need to be themselves. I find it comforting and exciting that Jesus is also thinking of space planning for each of us. He is at work on this for you today, right now as you read this. We see this in John 14: “There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you…” There is an excitement and buzz that gets stirred when we move into a new space. There is also some trepidation and anxiety that comes with the change of routine and familiarity. When we think about the space planning and preparation that God is doing for each of us, there need not be any worry or concern, only enthusiasm and anticipation of a place that has been planned, prepared and personalized specifically for making us eternally happy and joyful. Lean back in your chair for a moment and look around your current workspace. As you do, think and reflect on what it will be like to be in a perfect space, not that far off and then take this feeling of hopefulness and let it fill your day and reflect out to others. Let yourself be in a great space today.

Reference: John 14:2-3 (New Living Testament)

day 174: Lost Time

Career decisions are hard. Do we take a new job? Do we stay in the ones we have? Do we relocate for the company we work for or stay put and miss the promotion? Do we hold onto the job we have even though we don't like it because with the way the market is today we don't want to take a chance that we might be going to a company that would be laying off soon? Even in the best of times when there were lots of opportunities, career decisions were hard. And we have all been in some job sometime where we feel like we are wasting our time with frustration and stagnation. In today's job market I see and talk to many who feel this way. They are sitting in jobs where they aren't happy but they feel stuck and they wonder what this is going to do to their careers. Others are taking any job they can get regardless of title or salary and their resumes are now showing regression versus progression and this is causing much concern and consternation. I feel led to speak to those of you who are in these points in your career where you feel like the time is being taken from you and that the best years of your career may be wasting away from you. God gives us a word for this in the book of Joel as he describes the last days. The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you." Of course, what we are going through in our careers is not anywhere to the magnitude of that God says the end days will look like, but the promise is the same. If we stay true in our Faith and dependence on Him, any situation where we feel like the days, months, or years are being stripped and taken from us, He will restore them and do so in a way, where I believe, we will look over our shoulder into our memory and remember those times as growing and learning periods in our lives. Today, if you are feeling lost, trapped or stripped down in your job, take the problem to God. Ask Him to come to work with you today and to open your eyes and mind to what you should do next and then trust fully that He will become the best career counselor that you could ever imagine. He will!

Reference: Joel 2:25 (New Living Testament)

day 151: Career Planning

Lots of us are spending extensive time and energy on career planning right now. Necessity is causing us to rethink the position we have as our companies shift strategy, costs, and talent needs. For many, the music has stopped and they don't have a chair and find themselves trying to figure out what the next job should and can be. For some, total career shifts are taking place as their jobs have been eliminated, made obsolete through technology or sent overseas to where the cost of labor is lower. While we hope that these jobs may come back, it is as good of a chance that they won't as they will return. This is causing people to think about retraining and rethinking their education and career choices. These can be frustrating, worrisome and scary times. When we get used to the work we do, the company that employs us, the people we work with and the location we live, and then these are taken from us, we all respond differently to these challenges. What I do know is that when this happens and one is faced with these difficult circumstances and choices, that we hurt. We hurt deep inside where our self-esteem and self-worth reside. We hurt because those who we love and depend on us have to go through this with us, at no fault of their own. When we are in this place and we are trying to see the future but can't because of the tears of the present are blurring our vision it is a lonely and frightening feeling. It is in these times that we need to lean into our relationship with God and call upon his promises. We can be encouraged with the words we read in Ephesians 2:10; "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." We can rest assured that God has our career plan as part of the masterpiece that He has created in us. He had good things planned for us to do and those good things will be in His purpose, which is our purpose. I know that these are hard times and it seems trite to think that we can just grab a Bible verse and all will be okay, but with our continued and deepening faith we can find that God's promises are true, real, and playing out in real time, if we let Him do so. At this challenging time, those of us who personally may not be in the situation of having to rethink and replan our career and lives, do know someone who is in that situation and are hurting right now. Today would be the perfect day to reach out to them by phone, visit or email and let them know that you are praying for them, and that you are there for them if they need you. That encouraging word is part of the good things that you can do to help a brother or sister in need.

Reference: Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Testament)