Stop Working For – Give Yourself To
Thoreau wrote, “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life, which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or over the long run.” (Walden)
You determine value when you subtract cost from benefit.
Some things don’t cost anything. Good investments return more than they take.
To not for:
Working for something is the pursuit of gratification.
Give yourself ‘to’ not ‘for’. Working for something is an exchange of life for benefit. Giving yourself to something goes beyond material exchange. It’s simple to ask, “What are you working for?” The challenging question is “What you are giving yourself to?”
When you give yourself to something you express purpose.
2 things leaders give themselves to:
#1. Give yourself to personal development.
The benefits of personal development exceed cost when you multiply your ability to impact others.
Enhance your ability to manage your calendar. You manage yourself when you manage your time. A person who doesn’t control their calendar is out of control.
Develop your ability to develop others. You multiply the impact of your life when you develop your ability to coach. You extend the value of your life when you improve your mentoring skills.
#2. Give yourself to people.
Live a life worth remembering. I’m not talking about climbing mountains and visiting beautiful places. Live in a way that people miss you when you’re gone. They remember your generosity, kindness, and drive to excel.
Live as if your reputation matters. Your reputation is the way people talk about you when you’re not in the room.
E. B. White expressed the challenge, “I arise in the morning torn between desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
What can you give yourself to today?
Still curious:
4 Simple Reasons Your Calendar is Out of Control
This is One of your best essays, ever! Thank you for sharing such an important insight. I really feel this is the hallmark of all of my work.
Thank you for sharing your take away. Sometimes we get seduced by working for and neglect giving ourself to something.
I chuckled a bit when I read this one, specifically “#1. Give yourself to personal development.” If you are here reading this, give yourself a pat on the back – you are working on this one. Keep going!
Thanks for being a guide on the journey, Dan.
Good one Ryan. It’s like preaching to the choir!
Really like this piece. That nuance of “to” and “for” is so important to sustain one in his/her career and day-to-day work.