If you have ever made a major purchase you probably have experienced “pride of ownership.” It is that great feeling you have after making a purchase like a home, car, computer or anything that you have put a lot of thought and time in making the decision to get it.
When I purchased my first home, I just couldn’t believe that I was a homeowner. I spent most of my waking hours, when not at work, painting and decorating my home. I couldn’t wait to invite friends and family over so that they could see what I had done to it.
When they did arrive, there was nothing sweeter to my ears than to hear them make complements on what I had done. I have loved all of the homes I have owned and still enjoy having people over to enjoy them with me. It makes me feel good and I am proud of making a nice place to call home.
For my husband it is his car that he has real pride in. He loves tinkering on it and giving it a nice wash and waxing. He really enjoys when the neighbor guys stop by and take a look at it, it makes him smile because he is proud of what he has worked hard at getting and keeping it spotless.
People can have pride of ownership about anything that they own. It is about the pleasure they get from owning it, the accomplishment they feel from obtaining it and the desire to maintain it to the best of their ability.
I came across this quote the other day;
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” ~ Aristotle
Could he have been referring to pride of ownership of your job? As I pondered it, I came up with a few check points to tell whether you have pride of ownership of your work.
1. Does doing your job bring you pleasure? Not your boss or the end result your paycheck, but the actual doing of whatever it is that you do at work.
2. Do you feel like you are accomplishing something of value at work? At the end of the day you can say “yes, job well done.”
3. Do you work hard to maintain your job? Each day are you working hard, putting in what it takes in order to show your employer you want your job?
4. Are you excited to when you tell others what it is that you do, because you have pride in doing your job well?
If we can answer “yes” to these four questions then I think we can count ourselves very fortunate people to have found work that brings us pleasure and we strive to put perfection in our work. Count your blessings!
8/15/14
Practical Practice Management A Division of Top Practices 
This is a deep thinking Post…… 🙂 Like you said, these four principles can be used as check points in all things that we do in life; work, sports, social interaction, religion, interpersonal relationships and the list can go on and on!!!! I may have to get another cup of coffee and read this one again….. Take Care and God Bless 🙂
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Thank you for the lovely complement…. I hope you enjoyed your coffee and your day! 🙂
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As that old saying goes, choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
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That is true, even when we have those not so great days, we still want to come back for more. Thanks for the comment and enjoy your evening.
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Tina,
I love the questions you give us to evaluate where we are today. Thanks for the great post.
Have a wonderful Thursday!
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Thank you Carol and you have the same!
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Considering the amount of time we spend at work, to not enjoy it is sad. We all have those days when a life living on a shack on the beach seems like a much better option, but hopefully those days are few and far between. I’ve been in a place where I hated what I did and that unhappiness spilled over into the rest of my life. Not healthy! Making change was risky but so worth it! I now love what I do and that too spills over into the rest of my life.
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Laurie, I love hearing stories like yours. You are so right life is just too short to spend it working a job that you do not like and then as you said runs over into your personal life. I am so glad you make the break! You can encourage others to seek the same.
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Tina,
As Laurie mentioned, most people spend a lot of time at work, so I think there are very few things in life that are more important than enjoying our jobs.
Even if you don’t absolutely love your job, I think it’s definitely worth the effort to try to figure out ways to like it more. On a scale of 1-10 (with a 1 meaning you don’t like your job at all and a 10 meaning you love it), if you’re currently at a 3 or a 4, maybe there are some things you can do to get the number to a 6.
I’ve noticed that some small changes in how we look at things at work can make a significant difference. For example, I think it’s helpful to remember that having a job is usually better than not having a job. And perhaps there are other things about the job that can be appreciated more.
Thanks for the post and have a great day!
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Hi Greg, you are so right, we can make the best out of a so-so work situation. Remember the Fish story? We can bring fun to our work which will make a big difference. Levity makes a big difference. I remember one day when someone got sick and our office and Jesus my coworker volunteered to clean up. He just started telling fun stories while he was doing a very tough job and we all were so amazed. We still remember that day and will talk about it, his attitude made an impression on us all.
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Tina,
Yes, I really enjoyed the Fish book and the message in it. And that’s a great story about Jesus!
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great advice, I will have to make sure that I keep these points in mind.
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Thank you for the comment John, you have a great weekend. 🙂
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