When I want recognition at work from my team, or when I simply feel dissatisfied for no identifiable reason at all, I have to pause and ask myself who’s interest am I really considering - mine or others?
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit […] look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others…
It is a lot easier to do the things I don’t want to do or that are hard for me to do when I consider others over my selfish ambitions. This past week was really hard for me to not throw myself a pity party and just quit. Then I realized it was because I was overly focused on me. The more I thought about the above passage of scripture and used it to measure my motives against the more it exposed my selfish ambitions. It was hard not seeing those ambitions but rather putting them aside long enough to consider others. There are always multiple points of view and if I look past myself I can more easily conceive what those other points of view may be. If I am in a hard situation at work and there is stress around me it is very likely that others around me are feeling that same stress.
Philippians 3:13b (NIV) Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead
Sometimes the only way for me to move forward is to really try to forget what is behind. I have also been learning that in order to really do my best, set and meet new goals at work, I have to first let go of past misses and frustrations from the day or week before. To take it one day at a time I have to look at the day ahead without trying to measure it against the disappointments or failures of the day past. This too can be incredibly difficult but it starts by acknowledging when I am doing it and than making the conscious choice not to and then make that choice again and again through out the day.
When I take each day for what it is and set goals just for that one day, I can focus on the people around me and consider their needs. These are small practicals that have helped me to get over myself and focus on God and doing what would make Him proud, one day at a time this week in contrast to the missed days last week because sometimes we grow out of conflict and sometimes we grow from mistakes. Neither are pleasant but both are necessary to mature.
Philippians 3:15(NIV) All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.