Overworked? Underpaid? Not Appreciated?
What do you do when you feel overworked, underpaid or unappreciated? I am sure that all of us have experienced one or all the above at one time or another. If your answer is yes, I invite you to look at these three aspects of life with me.
Overworked: If you feel overworked, is it possible that you are taking on more than your fair share of the workload. This can happen very easily if a person is prone to “people pleasing.” This starts with a desire to help, to add value to someone’s life, or to let them know that you care. At the root of the good intention could be the need to be needed. Helping becomes more about me and the need that helping fills in my life, than the need of the other person.
Overwork can also be tied to a faulty set of internal values. Just about every day a child was asked the question, “What have you done today to deserve to be alive?” The internal voice kept saying, “your worth is established by your ability to earn your right to life.” This drove the man to perform to an undefined and unreachable standard. He poured himself into his chosen career to prove that he deserved to be alive. Proving his worth was a task master that drove him to overwork.
If a person grows up in an environment where their value or affirmation was dependent upon their performance, they will be more susceptible to the burden of overwork. They have learned that their value is not inherent, but something that must be continually earned through achievement or performance.
Overwork can come from a sincere desire to help others achieve their goals. I would classify this as over responsibility, not over work. In other words, I allow the optional to crowd in on the important. Having a clear sense of my primary responsibilities will help me assess optional responsibilities.
Underpaid: We often assess ourselves based on our net worth. Unfortunately, worth gets attached to material value. Our internal formula says, “Value is the total of our tangible assets.” On a flight from Toronto to Calgary I was sitting beside a man who asked, “How have you made your millions?” I thought for a moment and then responded, “Years ago I decided that more important than how much I made, was the value of what I had to give.” When we focus on how much we get, we allow material assets to define our value. The more a person is focused on the value they bring to their work, the less they will be concerned about the money they get paid for their work. The real value of work is not what I derive from it but what it develops within me.
Unappreciated: Of the three, this is probably the one that is most important. Knowing that we are appreciated puts money in our value bank, energy in our weary soul, and purpose in what we do. But what do we do when we are not appreciated? That is when I need to seriously ask myself, “Why am I doing what I am doing?” If I am working to derive value, there is nothing that I do that will fully satisfy the vacuum of my need. If it is money the answer will likely be, “A little more.” If it is appreciation the answer will likely be, “But this went unnoticed.” Knowing that my attitude and my work express the heart of my Creator brings internal satisfaction that outweighs the words of any person. When my expectation is focused on the applause of one, I can carry the weight of my responsibility, the absence of compensation, and the mute response of the benefactor of my labor.
Keep working for the right Person and I’ll see you at the top.
Duane Harder
