Sunday, February 28, 2016

Random thoughts: Love my job, even if it hurts

I begin to understand why my job is so different from last year. 

Because I tried to do my best for my work. I actually hate "myself" for delivering snoopy work more than I hate my work. 

Of course, it is not a bed of roses, there are people you rather not work with, lessons that are flops, conflicts with pupils etc.

But, I think we should love our job. Here how I do it:

1) Remind myself it pays for my stable and comfortable life. LOL. 

I have seen the reverse, I just had a close friend who borrowed money from me to attend to some emergencies. That loan is overdued but I have already decide to write it off the moment I agree to lend the money. 

I meet people who told me there are many working as hard or even harder than me but earning half my pay. 

I don't take things for granted. Call me lazy, and that I should aim for FI. I just wanted to keep my passion in work alive.

2) Deliver value in whatever I do.

I want to value add, there are many a times I don't meet others' expectations or I made mistakes. 

I have learn to forgive myself for not doing a wonderful job, but I am now very mindful not to whin and cherry pick my work. Even if something is not related to teaching, I try my best to look at it in terms of pupils' holistic development or angle of organization excellence and do
My best. I no longer want to "go through motion"

Recently, I was asked to sit in the panel for selection of head prefects. I used to find it a waste of time and just read off mostly from the notes provided. But after thinking about it, I decide I could value add by understanding them better and guiding them for this role. I went totally off the script and talk about various issues, asking difficult questions to check their composure. My colleague told me I asked very good questions. It's just that moment of "mindset" that decide if that another "hateful" office experince or a meaningful experince.

3) Don't be calculative over hours worked

As fixed salaried workers, the more hours we worked, the less pay per hour. Screw that thought! If I need to lose some
Sleep so I can prepare a lesson better, so be it. If I have to work over the weekend and during the holiday to organized myself thoughts, so be it. However, I forget myself if I still make mistakes. 

4) Be frank and honest.

Office politics? I am not sure how bad it is, I just be myself and say how I genuinely feel about issues objectively. If I offend someone along the way, too bad. I think second guessing or trying to please my bosses is futile as I have hit my ceiling. 

5) Look at my pupils 

Looking at them just make my day. The cute ones, the love able ones, the "poor ones", even the irritating or ungrateful ones.

They are children and innocent, mostly. Some are quite clueless. Human spirit at its purity, rub off some positive energy. 

The laughters, the energetic "黄老师”. Of course, they are pupils who give u a black face, or worse see you as transparent, but they are the minority. 

It is easier, for me, since I am a bad egg when I am in primary school. 

Do u love your work? 

13 comments:

  1. good, very good. my thinking is that if you have this kind of mentality, better to start delivering the value in a place where you are compensated properly.


    2) Deliver value in whatever I do.
    I want to value add, there are many a times I don't meet others' expectations or I made mistakes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SMK,

      Eh... Not sure if I will be used to private sector? If the money is good, of course, but nothing is bao Jia, so I will stay put

      Not sure why u quote the paragraph thou and the point by want to make?

      Delete
  2. Sillyinvestor,

    I do enjoy my weekend work ;)

    It's fun to meet customers from all walks of life.

    The pay is a tiny fraction of what I used to get; I just treat it as kopi money when I go out during my weekday "gai gai".

    It's all in the mind ;)

    If you asked me 30 years ago, I would say staying at the selling floor is a dead end job. Shift work, work weekends, boring... That's why I moved on to a buyer job - to travel and see the world!

    Funny I've come full circle.

    Back to the selling floor to my roots once more :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SMOL,

      30 years u working for a living, now u living to work. Sama sama and different. It's the mind. I agree.

      When u have gai gai money, Jio me out and treat me drink ok lol. I nothing to return, but my gratitude can?? lol talk about shameless!!

      Coming circle, it's Tao ... :)

      Delete
  3. Hi SI,

    I like this post a lot as I can sense the reflection and happiness in the writer as I read on!

    That is all it's important!

    Passion literally means “to suffer” in Latin. So if it does not hurt, then there is no love! Hehe...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rolf,

      I didn't know passion mean "to suffer" in Latin lol

      Passion hurts but most of The time energized. Otherwise we become SM

      Delete
  4. Hello SI, are u a 1a3 Hod? Reached the pay ceiling? Well, u may be promoted soon, maybe this year? :)
    I work in a school too. Agree that pay is stable, life is comfortable. And that is the issue with me, life is too comfy, I am getting stuffy, not learning much anymore cos every year is roughly similar.
    It's like a small pond, I am getting too big for it. So need to jump out of the pond to a bigger one. Hope I won't dehydrate while jumping, or worse, land on the shore with no water :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. An9elfire,

    Cool! Big fish better not swim in shallow waters, take up space of the coral animals.

    I am sure I am a small fish, so no worries there. When I say "ceiling" I meet potential for progression more than pay or grade.

    Maybe u are amphibious? Can go on both land and water

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sillyinvestor,

    That's a good attitude and approach to have when dealing with your job. I work in accounting and it's a bit difficult to find meaning in what I do other than remind myself why I want to achieve financial independence so I can stop working in an office job!


    Cheers,
    TFS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm.. TFS,

      I have an accountant friend turn auditor turn CFO now working for a listed company.

      Motivation is climbing up the ladder and then out of the rat race ...

      Delete
  7. Hi SI,

    Your job is making you suffer a lot isit? haha, if not why the sudden motivational post :)

    I really love my work. It's something that I can foresee myself doing even after I've 'retired'. The only difference perhaps is that I no longer have to work for money. Should have some bounce in every step I take haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No la LP;

      Last year suffer more. This year inner demons scare of year of monkeys.

      I think as compared to the past; I put in more man hours and might not see the results as u would in the past because there are too many on my plate.

      I see it as a capacity problem which might improve when I learn and get better. But I no longer suffer from low self-esteem

      Motivational? Maybe, having bad flu when I wrote that. Damn sleepy, so I drive to Mac, eat relax then blog then drive back to work

      Delete
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