Practice Personal Values Development When You Earn
I'm betting that you like to see situations improve and problems solved at every level in your life; family, work, and in society. I think it's human nature to get a kick out of knowing you've helped a situation become better.
Basically what you are doing when you go to work is adding value. And remember you enjoy adding value?! And it is the value you are adding that you are getting paid money for. Basically your income reflects the value you contribute.
There are two main categories of contributing value to work:
- Objectively measured value
Many workers in western society are paid in line with the measurable objective value that they add to the company financial bottom line. For example, if you make 10 widgets, you get paid 10 dollars. If you make 20 widgets, you get paid 20 dollars. Your payment reflects the profit the company achieves because of your work. You can easily calculate the benefit you contribute to the company in this way.
- Subjective value
Remember Grandma, and when she used to make you french toast, or porridge, or a sandwich. She'd put a generous portion of love and caring into it along with the bread and butter. You could say she was practicing personal values development, eventhough it was likely second nature for her.Did it make a difference to quality of life... absolutely! This simple act was building wealth too... the true wealth of life!
Now think about a grouchy sandwich maker at a fast food outlet. They might haphazardly slap the ingredients onto a slice of bread and almost throw it at the buyer.
Imagine the greater core value that caring and it's correlates adds to a situation. Focus on adding these 'immeasurable values' to your skill set, and contribute this way every day in every encounter.
Do more than just work for money… work to give immeasurable value in your products, service, and time... to whoever or whatever task is on the receiving end.
I challenge you, for one week, to say as you are going to work in the morning… "he he he… I’m off to give a valuable service to 'xyz company' today. I'm adding objective measurable value, and I'm adding subjective value of care, integrity, honesty (and whatever other core values light you up). The value I give is helping build a better company, product, service, a better society, and a better world!"
Support Your Personal Values
Once you decide to inject greater care into your work environment, your attitude of contributing value grows. What you physically do may not differ at all from what you did last week. But, your personal values development is expanding your experience of life. You are daring to play a bigger game.
It's also possible that the physical measurable tasks that you do may also change in light of aiming to add value. For example, if you provide a cleaning or pest control service, you might look at using products that are more environmentally friendly… good for you, for others, and the world.
In this way, you are cultivating value that is environmentally sustainable.
Recognize the value you are contributing on all levels. Enjoy the process of contributing value, and watch for it's positive impact in different areas of life.
"Every kind of work can be a pleasure.
Even simple household tasks can be an opportunity
to exercise and expand our caring, our effectiveness, our responsiveness.
As we respond with caring and vision to all work,
we develop our capacity to respond fully to all of life.
Every action generates the energy which can be shared with others.
These qualities of caring and responsiveness
are the greatest gift we can offer."
Tarthang Tulku
