Fear of Being Left Behind ~ #MondayBlogs

I woke up this morning with the strangest of dreams; without going into the complete detail, I wound up not being at a workplace for a couple of days (I believe for an illness?) and wound up being replaced my position done away with. While the dream had nothing based in reality, it still shook me up.

Like many of us there are times when I worry that I may have taken too much on and might be unable to complete everything I need to, worry that 24-hours a day isn’t enough time to do everything I choose to do, worry that maybe I can’t do the job that is expected of me, or just worry that maybe I am just easy to be replaced.

We would all like to feel that we can make an impact in this world and that we would be missed if we were suddenly gone. The reality is that for most of us, in terms of our skills and the impersonal jobs we do, most of us are replaceable. But it is family and friendships that truly make us unique, it’s how we cuddle our children and comfort them, it’s how we tell our partners that we love them, and it’s even how we pet our four legged fur-babies that truly makes us US.

Many people can and do go to schools to learn how to handle most tasks like keeping financial books, cook, build electronics, take blood pressures and more. So many of us add our own touches to jobs like teaching, designing, counseling, research, or writing. And there are some jobs such as first responders (EMS, FD, PD, etc) where split second decisions can make the difference between just doing our job and being heroes. And it should make us feel good when we do our jobs well.

Basically what I am trying to say is that too many of us get tangled up with trying to be the best and most needed at our jobs and prove our value by the amount of money we earn or the titles we wear; truthfully we need to concentrate on the kind of people we are, how we treat others and even how we treat ourselves. Our value lies not in some corner office or a paycheck, but in how we are seen in the eyes of the people who depend on us, our children, our spouses, our families.

If you lose a JOB or get passed over for a promotion life isn’t over; yes there may be challenges, but the important things in your life are the people around you. Pay attention to the people who are waiting for you at home, the family that you’ve grown up with, the friends you’ve had for years, the pets that get excited to see you walk in the door at day’s end. You won’t get left behind when you can share love and life and laughter.

Don’t let yourself get so tied up in knots over a job when there are more important things in life. Focus on what is important to your happiness not just today but in your tomorrows. Success is much more than a dollar figure, living a life well and making others happy is more important. Your job and paycheck may be necessary, and there is nothing wrong with ambition, but never let it become the only thing you live for. Don’t let the superficial things make you feel left behind, lost or worthless.

Don’t get so busy
making a living that
you forget to make a life.
 — Dolly Parton