It is Friday evening. You are happy that a very hectic week is finally coming to an end. Your body needs rest. Your family needs good time with you. The weekly routine is demanding. You wake up at 5am daily to prepare and drop the kids. By 4pm you are at school to pick them. The office work is always demanding of late. Add to this the political anxieties. You have been moving up and down, trying to eke a living. Your partner works upcountry and comes every Friday evening. You always look up to the weekly reunion. You want to clear your office for a relaxed weekend of uninterrupted family time. As you move towards the exit door, your supervisor calls you back for a short briefing about a new development. She would like you to represent her at a social meeting on Saturday at 9:00am.
How would you respond to the request?
Your response depends on the relationship with your supervisor. Your personal values.Life choices and personal confidence. While I had just started working, my immediate supervisor would send me for errands at 5pm. He was eating into my personal time. However, I did not have the guts to look at him and tell him off. I often did as requested even when directly against my liking. Later, I would arrive home tired and start replaying the scenario in my mind. I wish I had refused. Next time I will not accept. Of course, next time I always accepted. Regret is a sign of inferiority complex and lack of personal credo or value system. Taken together, they lead to lack of self-esteem which kills confidence. My interactions with leaders has helped me appreciate the need of a value system which provides a basis for quick decision making.
We all know that no one gets it wrong when they do the right thing. The Ten Commandments, for example, provides clear basis for quick and accurate decision making. If someone approaches you to facilitate a fraud, your mind should race to the eight commandment “You shall not steal.” This provides the basis for saying no. You must be informed about the law, best practices, religious, cultural and personal values so that all these are consistent. And where they conflict, your religious values must prevail. It is okay to say no to your boss if he makes unfair request or one which conflicts with your personal credo – “I will accept no disruptions in my weekend schedules unless informed two weeks in advance.”
Don’t worry. Be happy. Smile out loudly.
Brothers and sisters that is the secret to happiness.Living your life. Finding time to relax and pay yourself. Happiness is all around you! Instead of chasing happiness, all you need is to take a step back and observe all the happiness that’s around you but you keep giving away to others freely. Use this coming week to write down your top 10 personal values for a happy life. Stick them together with the 10 commandments making sure they reinforce each other. Read them daily and make decisions based on that value system. For example, “I no longer lend money to ‘friends’. I ask them to go to the bank which does that business.” Have a blessed week. And remember to join our Whats up group. Once we membership reaches 250. We shall start exploring personal development and fulfillment ventures.
