Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: gift

  • Loving Monday: A Gift To Myself

    loving_mondayToday is full of people.

    I like it that way.

    I could have spread out the appointments more evenly throughout the week. But I didn’t.

    On purpose.

    I‘m giving myself a gift. The gift of a delightful day full of people. Renewing an old connection, exploring a new connection, and enjoying a deepening connection are all part of the mix.

    In the midst of the challenges, the craziness, the musts and the shoulds that I face on an ordinary basis, I arranged things so that I could enjoy a full day of people.

    What sort of work-based gift could you give to yourself?

    For some it might be a day to set aside all distractions, send the phone to voice mail, close the door and focus on a single project. Maybe dedicating an afternoon to getting organized and clearing away clutter would infuse new life into your work-weary soul.

    We don’t have to do things the same way every day. We don’t have to make room for everything all of the time.

    What if we structured our work in such a way that we gave ourselves an occasional day where our only responsibility was to enjoy our favorite part of our job? We might find that we have more energy to face the less enjoyable parts of our job.

    Today is a people day for me. I organized it that way. What might it be for you?

  • Loving Monday: Duty is Not a Four-Letter Word

    Somewhere along the line, “duty” became a four-letter word. A “bad” word. A negative word.

    Somewhere along the line we associated duty with responsibilities that no one would take on unless forced.

    I‘d like to suggest that “duty” and “privilege” are two sides of the same coin. I’d go so far as to promise that an attitude revolution is waiting for you if you can see your obligations as gifts. Gifts for which the most appropriate response is dedicated engagement.

    To commit to a duty is a promise to complete something out of dedicated engagement.

    Somewhere along the line, though, we lose the “dedicated engagement” part of the equation and end up with only the dry “promise.”

    “I get to” gets reduced to “I have to.” And so our experience is diminished into something no better than a coerced chore.

    In fact, though, we commit to tasks of value. We need a way to remind ourselves of the gift, the privilege, and the value underlying our promise to fulfill a particular duty.

    We need a way to engage with complicated, difficult or nasty components of our commitments that draws on our original rationale for making the commitment in the first place.

    An attitude revolution is waiting for you. Duty may be a four-letter word after all. G – I – F – T.

  • Loving Monday: Framed in Thankfulness

    I’m going to start this week off by saying thanks. In fact, I’m going to come up with seven (7) things I’m thankful for.

    I have a feeling that if this week proves as complicated as most, I’ll need to be prepared ahead of time. It’s just not that easy to remember what I’m thankful for after Wednesday.

    Starting each day on a note of thankfulness frames the day ahead in terms of life being a gift.

    We choose our mindset before events, people and the unexpected have a chance to suggest something different. We equip ourselves with a healthier starting point from which to confront the challenges that will inevitably arise.

    The gift of life I have been given includes:

    1. My wife and three kids
    2. Rose buds
    3. Accepting friends
    4. Rhythm and an occasional dance move
    5. An eye to see individual faces in every crowd
    6. Morning crunches (this one’s a stretch)
    7. Extended family support everywhere I look.

    What are seven gifts in your life that you can remember in thankfulness this week?

  • Loving Monday: The Gift of You

    You are a gift the rest of us need this week.

    On behalf of those you will encounter, thank you for being who you are.

    Thank you for your choices. Thank you for your perspective. Thank you for your working style. Thank you for your demeanor.

    This place would be less without you. Less strong, less rich, less thoughtful, less wise, less bold, less vibrant, less beautiful, less alive.

    You know how many of your particular distinctives are impossible for me to include here. Thank you for every one of them.

    Thank you for showing up today. Thank you for showing up fully yourself. It’s going to be a better week because you are here.