I have been getting a little down about my current work situation and it has had me in a little of a stagnant funk. As I was trying to get myself out of it, I learned another way to positively manipulate myself and the situation. When I think of, myself, my job, and the work I do; I refer to it as the Art. When someone asks me what I do, I respond that I practice the Art of Counseling or teach the Art of Productive Communication. I also explain that I am trying to learn to master the Art. It helps. The conversation that it strikes up is usually very interesting. Instead of instantly getting their personal editorial on whether or not counseling works, or if it ever has helped anyone; you engage people to find out what that Artistic side of it is and how you do it. This will not only work for me or my profession, I believe it will work for several others also. So, here is my assignment: what ever your job, career, or profession is; find a way to work Art into the description. If you are a janitor, you practice/master the Art of Structural Hygiene. If you are a police officer, you practice/master the Art of Protective Service. If you are a cashier, you practice/master the Art of Treasury Management. I only suggest do this if you need a little self esteem jump start, or you are struggling with a job that you love. It helps when you are in a rut. This doesn't work well if your job directly and/or purposefully hurts others, though.
There is a certain luxury and unspoken individualism granted to Artists and I think it is time to extend that courtesy to any and all. I guarantee that there are some of you who are reading this right now and are thinking of how ridiculous this seems. You have made a different choice. You do not choose to be Artists. Instead you have chosen to be Critics. I guess wherever there is Art there will be Criticism of that Art. If you have chosen to be a Critic, I hope it was an educated and well thought out choice. If you have chosen to be an Artist, remember that the great Artists never really listened to Critics anyway. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?
1 comment:
I really like that thought and idea of self motivation. I myself took it one step further and branded it.
What do I mean? very simple:
I articulated a mission statement for myself and then branded it with who/what/how...
Hopefully, its consistent and effective and people can recognize my mission statement by my character.
I asked myself:
What do I want to be about?
What is my mission/purpose?
Am I demonstrating or delivering who I really am and what I really care about?
Once you find out your brand, honor it!!
My Mission statement: to speak positive, to encourage and offer hope; to inspire, educate, empower and lead, to show empathy to everyone I encounter. I am loving, honest, helpful, hard-working, commited, trusting, faithful, fun and compassionate at heart. It is my goal to deliver this mission statement, so that, I might be effective in touching lives positively and make a difference.
Ron, That was a nice thought: The Artist known as.....
made me dig deeper.
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