Living On Purpose

I’ve discovered that owning my own business changes the way I approach the job itself.  It’s really my husband’s business, but I’ve taken a lot of responsibility for it.  Today I spoke with another business owner, and he began complaining about how most employees don’t care about anything. He meant that the employees don’t take care to make sure his business grows or is viewed as reputable.  It’s natural, I’ve seen it all my life. An employee just has a job; he’s “only working there,” and only cares that he gets his paycheck.

It has been said many times before by many a motivational speaker that if you treat your job as if you only work there, you’ll never advance. If you give everything you do in your job 100% effort, not only will you gain a good reputation, you’ll probably be eligible for promotion sooner.

Let me tie this concept together with personal growth. If you go through your life blaming others for your troubles, and not taking responsibility for your feelings, you’ll slow your personal progress. That’s like treating your body and your life as if you “only work there” or are “only living there for now.”

Owning your feelings and owning your decisions in life helps fast-forward your personal advancement. If you treat your body and your life like you’re running your own business, you’re bound to take better care of yourself. And part of owning a business is doing the distasteful tasks like bookkeeping, checking in on the bank account, and trying to figure out where you’re spending your money and if you’re making a profit. Well, you’ll be making a “profit” in your life if you do the mental bookkeeping tasks of reviewing your habitual behaviors, finding out how you waste your energy, and understanding how/why you make your decisions.  Use your emotional guidance system to tell you if you’re in the black or red of your emotional life. (That just means you check in and evaluate how often you feel bad and how often you feel good.)

That was my quick insight for tonight, as I drove home at 8 p.m. because our work truck broke down and I was catching up on lots of office details. If you live it like you own it, everyone will see the difference in your perserverance and dedication, and your confidence will rise, too.

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