What do you do?
It’s a question we get asked all the time and while it’s easy to give someone a title, it’s much harder to talk about impact. When I tell people I’m a Graphic Designer, I almost always hear this follow-up question – Do you like it?
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could give a resounding “YES!” I do love my job, but I know, regardless of what you do, it can be challenging too, at times, find the silver lining. Not every job is great every day, but every job has an impact – and – big or small – contributes to the “greater good”.
Every job, including yours, matters.
All jobs were created to, in some way, provide a product or service and help others. We’re all in the noble pursuit of (hopefully) helping to make the world a better place.
There are the obvious helpers; fire fighters, police personnel, doctors, etc. But what about the guy who meticulously assembled my sandwich today? He provided a healthy alternative to the candy bar I thought about eating. The kid that delivers the paper to my grandparents knows, at least subconsciously, that they may not use a computer, but they still need the news. My dry-cleaner got the spot out of the dress I’m wearing for an important event this weekend (Thank you, Betty!).
Whether you fly airplanes full of people across the ocean or walk the neighbor’s dogs, someone is counting on you to do your job. And that job matters. And wherever you are, there’s room to improve. There’s room to extend and grow your impact. If you aren’t confident in your skills, read, take a class, attend a seminar, talk to an expert…strive to be better.
In your pursuit of doing meaningful work, strive to be great. Someone is relying on your expertise. You, too, are making a dent in the universe. Take pride in what you do and know that you’re helping someone.
Strive to be better. Strive to be great.