How Important are You?

Time and again, I hear the phrase, “nothing would get done if I wasn’t here.” I have personally felt this way in several of my duty positions, but is it right to feel this way? What knowledge do I have that is so important to my organization? What do I do that is so important? If I weren’t here tomorrow, wouldn’t someone else have to do the work that I am doing? Given the opportunity, others might even do the job better than me!

You have no doubt asked yourself these questions from time to time. Deep down, in some way, many of us like that we can be so heavily relied upon. We like to think of ourselves as irreplaceable. For me, this is a flawed way of thinking. 

The reason I am writing this during the holidays is because many of you are taking some well-deserved time off after another busy year. As you spend this time with your family and friends, take time to reflect on how important you are to the people that support you. I think you will find that it is a lot harder to replace you in that arena.

Yet, we tirelessly toil to accomplish the mission at our day jobs at the expense of our relationships. Don’t get me wrong, the mission of your organization is important, but it isn’t so important that you must sacrifice all your time at your loved ones’ expense. Moreover, don’t give all your time doing tasks when building relationships at work can make you more efficient. Take it from me, a guy that used to think if I just worked long hours, and did everything right on my own, I’m going to get promoted. I got promoted, but at the expense of my mental health and my relationships. 

I love the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. The opening verses go like this:

1 The words of the Preacher,[a] the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity[b] of vanities, says the Preacher,
    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens[c] to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
    and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
    and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
    but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
    there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness;
    a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done,
    and there is nothing new under the sun.

Now, don’t take this as me saying you should give up your work to be with your loved ones. All I’m asking during this time is that you reflect on how you spend your time. I pray that you will dedicate more time to the ones you love because you are more important to them than you are to anyone at work.

~Rey