Security is a major concern most of us face in our lives. A big part of this, since we all need to earn an income, is job security, and I’ve found a solution….At least it makes sense to me and has caused me to become better as a person, more relaxed, and enjoying life and people more completely.
The key process in this discovery is to find your talents and develop them into strengths. Now, when I say talents, I want you to completely comprehend what I’m referring to. Here is a quote from a book called “Now Discover your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton (page 48):
“A talent is doing something that you refer to as “I can’t help it. I just do it, and it feels so good”. It is enduring and unique. It is a special, natural ability or aptitude. Talent is any recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. If you are instinctively inquisitive, this is the talent. If you are competitive, this the talent. If you are charming, this is a talent. If you are persistent, this is a talent. If you are responsible, this is a talent.”
Hold it – hold it – hold it! Wait just a minute – aren’t those talents the very things that we make fun of in other people? Haven’t we been accused of being too inquisitive, too competitive, too persistent, etc? But aren’t those negative traits?
Not if they are productively applied!
So, that leads me to my proposal of job security and contentment:
- If you have a talent which some might call negative – develop it into a strength through practice and skill development. Use it in your job. Stop looking at it as a problem, and start seeing it as a gift. Be so good that they can’t get rid of you!
- If you see others with these “negative traits,” stop your criticism! They make your company run more smoothly and let you do your job strength because they do what you don’t want to do. For instance, someone might say, “She is so charming, it makes me sick!” Do you want to develop the charming talent? Be happy she enjoys it and you don’t have to try. If Mr. J is so inquisitive that it drives you crazy, stop it! If he asks all the questions you don’t have to, that frees you to develop your own skills and your talent!
By BEing who we are, and letting other be themselves, the puzzle pieces all fit together – because we need each other! So, the company prospers, and we retain our jobs in peace and appreciation of each other. Job security!