Have you heard the phrase, "That guy is not worth his salt?" To be worth one's salt, is to be worth one's pay. The word salary is derived from the Latin word "salarium." Apparently, Roman soldiers were paid enough to purchase salt to preserve their food. To be "worth one's salt" carries with it the connotation of having a place of importance and making a meaningful contribution.
Several years ago, I came across research indicating that 70% of the American workforce was neither skilled nor capable of doing their work. How many people do you know that fall into that category? The sad truth is that most employees live paycheck to paycheck and have invested enough years doing what they hate that their income is now at a level where they can't afford to do otherwise even if they don't enjoy their work.
In addition, there are some people in a workplace setting who couldn't pour it out of a boot with the directions on the heel. We've all met them. They don't excel in their workplace, but too frequently, their incompetence is overlooked. A sense of entitlement rather than accountability is the order of the day.
Years ago, when I was working about 51 miles from where I lived, I found that going to the post office to mail a package in the location where I worked was routinely an exercise in futility. Almost without fail, there would be a long line of people waiting to mail packages. Generally, one employee was working at the counter and three or four other employees seemed to be "scratching their heads" and walking around in a stupor. Customer service didn't appear high on their list.
Across four and a half decades plus of working in child welfare related roles, I have met some of the most capable and influential people I've ever known. The vast majority of people I've worked with have been passionate about their work and they have made a significant difference in the lives they've touched.
However, I remember a colleague from my early days of children's protective services. He took the job only because he needed a paycheck, and he was ill-fitted for the role. He didn't last long. He left the agency of his own volition, because he found the work stressful and was by his own admission better suited for law enforcement than helping people initiate change.
I once worked with a guy whose goal had been to pastor a church. He had a graduate degree and a long list of credentials that, at face value, would place him at the top of the leaderboard in a review of his written academic background. The ongoing problem he faced was that most often the selection process for any position required an interview. This guy was the poster candidate for "socially awkward."
The bottom line is that life is too short to settle for an occupational pursuit that doesn't promote a sense of purpose and passion for the individual. I'm selfish. I am not content with discontent being the defining characteristic in a work setting.
If you truthfully hate what you do for a living, don't let the predictability of a pay period deprive you of preparing to make a change. I'd never encourage anyone to quit a job until they have another, but they could start taking additional classes to prepare themselves to get out of a role and position that is killing them. Isn't that the bottom line for workplace stress? Life is too short for a steady diet of discontent.
All My Best!
Don
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