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In his book, Miniatures Of A Zen Master, Robert Aitken, director of the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu, tells of an experience when he first lived in Japan. A neighbor had just graduated from high school and came over to him announcing she had just been hired as a telephone operator. “It will allow me to be of service to my country,” she said excitedly. Aitken thought she was being “incredibly naive” but after spending more time in Japan understood better their positive attitude toward the opportunities provided by employment.
That incident raises this question: how would attitude toward work change in our culture if more people viewed their employment as an opportunity to be of service to others? Some ways to shift an employment attitude from the negative to the positive could be done by asking these kinds of questions:
• Am I “just” a server or am I helping people have a fine dining experience?
• Am I “just” a plumber or am I helping people live comfortably in their homes?
• Am I “just” a truck driver or am I helping people have access to things they need?
• Am I “just” an airplane mechanic or am I helping keep people safe in the skies?
• Am I “just” a bricklayer or am I helping create comfortable housing for people?
Be aware and be wary in moments when you use the word "just" referencing yourself and your services.
That incident raises this question: how would attitude toward work change in our culture if more people viewed their employment as an opportunity to be of service to others? Some ways to shift an employment attitude from the negative to the positive could be done by asking these kinds of questions:
• Am I “just” a server or am I helping people have a fine dining experience?
• Am I “just” a plumber or am I helping people live comfortably in their homes?
• Am I “just” a truck driver or am I helping people have access to things they need?
• Am I “just” an airplane mechanic or am I helping keep people safe in the skies?
• Am I “just” a bricklayer or am I helping create comfortable housing for people?
Be aware and be wary in moments when you use the word "just" referencing yourself and your services.
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