Question!

Originally uploaded by -bast-

I was working with a woman this weekend whose job is marketing of an elder-care residence. In the eyes of her employer, her performance, therefore, is dependent on filling rooms.

Watching her at work, however, I saw her continually “distracted” from her job in order to converse with residents. She was patient, caring, personable. Exactly the kind of person you’d want to have working at a residence that you or a loved one was moving into.

Exactly the kind of behavior that could get her fired.

As a simplifier, part of my role is to help her focus on her job and her responsibilities by clearing distractions and systemizing recurring activities. If she gets fired, she won’t help any of those folks and she’ll be out of a job.

The ancients posed a similar question, Society v. Truth. An example might be if you are faced with a situation in which you are called to do something you know is Right, yet it breaks a law. Maybe you break the speed limit to get a sick friend to the hospital.

Seems like a no-brainer! Of course you’d drive them there as fast as possible-as long as it was safe. The highway is fairly empty, you’ve driven 75 (legally) on the interstate plenty of times, and your friend is really in pain. Whether the highway patrolman who pulls you over for going 75mph on a 55mph stretch of road agrees or not in principle, it’s his job to uphold the law. It’s not his job to determine whether the state-made law should be usurped by a morally driven law. It’s a call that each of us makes in the moment.

Is it a different case when no one’s in immediate danger and your responsibility is to an entity that hired you to do a specific duty? Sure. So one might say, the client wasn’t in the best job for her. Perhaps she should be in a position in which her responsibilities are to care for people in the way she so naturally does.

However, she’s lucky to have a job at this point in our economic craziness–should she dismiss her natural gift and the needs of these kind folks to save her own butt?

I’m taking the arguments of extreme here. In reality, the road often taken is one of moderation. What’s the ideal balance between doing what you love and are drawn to, and doing what you “need” to do?

There is always maintenance to be done, business to be taken care of… How can we minimize the “have to” so the “get to” grows? Yup… the essence of simplifying lies in the answer.

The approach to take in answering this issue is different for everyone. The direction to explore, which is similar for everyone however, is what we might call a spiritual path. What gives you a feeling of meaningfulness? What is your gift of service to the world that also brings you great satisfaction? Where you find answers to these questions will also provide answers to the next step of how to spend more time doing them in a way that is consistent with your health and other life responsibilities.

Getting fired may or may not be good for the health. Sometimes it provides a much needed kick in the pants to take action where fear had a solid grip. Could it be that our economic shake-up could be seen as a positive in that it’s getting people to really look in places that they’d avoided? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Something to consider in any case.

What I do know is that it’s my responsibility to find my own compass to guide me. While I’ve been looking inward for answers, I’m slowly beginning to realize that there are more answers to be found in doing. Do, make, speak, write, build, grow, manifest, create — the action verbs that result in my interaction with the world, with you.

Ok. Enough naval gazing. I’m going to have to sign off since I don’t see where this is becoming a useful tool to assist with simplifying. I’m playing with ideas, and am open to feedback.

Happy trails and let it be easy!