Six days may you work and perform all your labor, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God; you shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your beast, nor your stranger who is in your cities. For [in] six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
exodus 20:9-11
imagine if the master of the universe did not make his best efforts each day to create a something “good” ? in the end, perhaps it would not have ended being “very good”? had the master made the minimal effort, would you have enjoyed your existence in an “ok” world? the torah recognizes that we, just like the master, can perform great works of labor in six days. with this accomplishment, we all get our deserved day off.
long before the so-called invention of “quiet quitting,” i had my own share of questionable work habits. at times, i tended to wander off. becoming professional caused me to sharpen my work skills immensely. i can attest to over 30 years of good work ethic. this ethic, when i worked for others, led to significant raises, bonuses, and my name added to the law firm. this was accomplished by efforts above and beyond mere expectation.
for those of you who have recently entered the labor market or and going to enter it, you have perhaps the greatest opportunity to succeed. first, the baby boomers are slowly leaving the workforce. with that, there should be mid or high level positions that will need to be filled. second, you have peers, the “quiet quitters” who, in kind words, are both not so smart and not so wise.
“quiet quitting” in an article was described as “closing your laptop at 5 p.m. doing only your assigned tasks. spending more time with family. these are just some of the common examples used to define the latest workplace trend of ‘quiet quitting.'” npr as an employer for over 2 decades, “quiet quitting” is not that benign. first, the generation employing “quiet quitting” have problems even showing up to work. their attendance is horrible. spending time with family members often will take them away from doing their job. they miss full days because of it. they miss full weeks because of it. i have even had them request extended leave with no set return date! second, while they close their laptop at 5 p.m., a significant segment of their work time was most likely dedicated to their personal smart phone usage. texts and other communications are often going on during non-break and non-lunch hours. third, there is a form of “toxic entitlement” in your generation. at times, i feel that work is a form of day care for them. as an employer, i am place to keep them busy and entertained during the day. fourth, the “toxic entitlement” they have includes them spending half of their time devoted to finding fault at their employment and courageously complaining. i once got a written essay about how there was no soap in the bathroom to wash their hands. colleges today are incapable of instructing supposed “young adults” how to get out of their seat and tell the boss “we need more soap.” likewise, they are incapable understanding that an office kitchen also has soap to wash hands. sadly, colleges, and some parents, are teaching “adults” how to become dysfunctional “children.”
thus, what i just said should be encouragement for you. you can achieve greatness! first, with this pathetic mediocrity, you can impress your employer by showing up to work everyday on time and work throughout the day. second, you can blow your employer’s mind by putting your cell phone away and only using it during lunch and authorized break times.
if you want to put yourself on the true track for success, then try the following: first, be willing to learn new tasks at the job. the more you know, the more valuable you are, and the more that your employer will pay you. second, ask your employer if there is anything that they would like you to do or learn. many employers will love to see that level of enthusiasm. [note: my enthusiastic remarks are not intended to proclaim that all work environments are good for you. there are times when a job is not proper for you. ]
in the end, after working hard all week, take a deserved day off.
be well!!
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