THE SHORT-CUT

 

In a previous article, captioned the purpose of work, it was stated that work is a gift and not a burden. You are either giving value and/or earning value which could be monetary or in kind. Work is a process and creates room for development of your talents and intellect depending on the kind of work you do. In going through the process, it could be tasking to your mind or physical body, but the output can be rewarding and satisfying. For instance, a student undergoing training has a work of reading, attending lectures, researching etc.   Reading is work, it puts your mind to use to analyze concepts, understand the subject matter and broaden your horizon. As a student, reading and studying diligently is your work, don’t treat it less. You will be better equipped and vast in knowledge if you are given to reading. A person working in a formal setting earning through legitimate means is working, a trader doing petty trade is working just like the one working multinational firm. The contractor is working likewise the bricklayer, newspaper vendor, artisans, cleaners, messengers etc. Whatever work you do legitimately to earn without cutting corners or defrauding others is work, do it diligently and purposefully.

WHAT IS THE SHORT-CUT

It is a faster way of doing something/getting somewhere than the standard or normal way.  It is a method or means that bypass necessary work with the aim of obtaining the value you should get from work. Short-cut approach prevents you from working or make you see work as a burden/difficult task. Consequently, you embrace the easy way out as an alternative to circumvent work and yet choose to reap the benefits that should be derived from work. 

There is a purpose for work and that is why you should work when necessary and assiduously without cutting corners. When you work, you are either giving value or developing yourself, your mind, skill, intellect, etc. God told Adam to keep and till the garden (work). To carry out such work successfully, you will likely engage your mind; use your hands, tools or a combination of both to keep an organized and beautiful garden. Nothing good just happens, it is the input of work that produces the good things. The effect of good work is appealing and desirable and can include a flourishing business, a good article, a beautiful home, a great art piece, an excellent brand, delicious meal etc. These are the fruits of diligent work, and its okay to desire them. However, don’t despise the seed (work) that produced the harvest. Engage your work creatively and smartly as the result of your work will show the quality you put into it.

SOME FORMS OF SHORT-CUT

PLAGIARISM: In plagiarism, you copy other people’s work or resources and use them as your own without giving credit to them. The short-cut approach will prevent you from working (researching/or doing the work), but get credit and/plaudit from the work of others that you masquerade as your own. Your ingenuity is buried when you fail to do your work and adopt other people’s work. Short-cut absolves you from the responsibility of work and the benefit derived from the process of work which can include self growth and development.

EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE. The purpose of reading is beyond passing an examination. When you read, you gain knowledge and expertise on the subject matter; it is the route out of ignorance. It engages your mind and intellect and you become better equipped. Short-cut says you can make good grades without studying or reading. It explores the alternative route with demeaning values such as examination malpractice, bribing/paying for grades etc. if you get the grades without working; it stays as grades, no value added to your person.

BRIBERY: The short-cut approach makes you undermine standard or normal procedures in getting things done. You will rather pay cash or give some kind of offer that may not be monetary, not because you are paying someone to work for you, but because you are cutting corners to get the desired result faster. People bribe when they are not qualified or when they are induced to do so.

THE SHORT-CUT TO WEALTH

The short-cut approach makes money making faster and easier through dubious and heinous means. The short cut does not uphold values of diligence, schooling, perseverance, service etc. It manifests in amassing quick wealth through diabolic means, internet fraud, armed robbery/stealing, drug pushing, trafficking, embezzlement of public funds, prostitution etc.

PITFALL OF THE SHORT-CUT APPROACH

The short-cut looks easy and promising but is not without pitfalls. On the surface, it looks you can get away with it and keep covering your tracks. However, whatever a man sows, the same he will reap. The short-cut approach gives room for laziness, can be fueled by perpetual procrastination and will deny you the value, growth, productivity and development that is derived from work.

 Thank you for reading!

THE PURPOSE OF WORK

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Likewise, God commanded the Israelites to work for six days and rest on the seventh day. God commanded rest and we must take it because it is good for us, but the import of this is that work came before rest. We should not lazy around not working or not working as much as we should, thus not deriving the value/blessing we should get from work. How do we handle this on a typical day?

• Get out of bed: You can’t remain on your bed all morning.
• Pray: Start the day with God. You are already working to have a more robust fellowship with God, so approach it with proper work ethics.
• Plan your day: It gives you a sense of purpose.
• Brush your mouth: As simple as this is, it sets you on a path of work.
• Take your bath: It helps you freshen up and reinvigorates you.
• Eat, if you are a breakfast kind of person.
• Then set out to actualize your plans for the day. 

Approach your day and anything you have to do with a work mindset; taking into account the value you hope to derive or give by embarking on such activity. Carry out the items on your to-do list like someone who is truly working. Even if your work for the day is domestic chores, you can still have a to-do list and approach your chores as work because it is. I suppose that’s how people who say they work 18 hours a day go about their work. They are taking every item on their list with seriousness, even the hangouts. If the activity though recreational will not bring or give tangible value, they drop it.

A lot of people are actually working for lengthy hours, but they do not know that they are working or fail to approach their activities with a work mentality or work ethics. For instance, they babysit, hang out with friends etc but do so without purpose and attitude to work. For instance, you can hang out with a goal to bond or build stronger and healthier relationships, not just for the fun of it. In doing so, you are having fun but you are working at something. Who says work cannot be fun or that you can’t have fun working? You are giving and/or getting value as well as making something meaningful happen. The mindset that work has to be tedious or laborious and some kind of punishment or strain is a faulty mindset. This is probably responsible for treating some work casually because they are not laborious. I get paid by my employer though most of the things I do comes naturally to me and I don’t seem to bat an eyelid to do them.  However, as I evaluated my work, I saw the huge role my “hobbies” are playing in my work environment.

 A certain janitor working for a cyberspace company was once asked the kind of work she does and her response was outstanding: I contribute to sending people to space. This speaks volume of her work mentality and sense of purpose. She is contributing to a hygienic and neat work environment for other personnel to work effectively. The security man by the gate is contributing, no unwarranted visitor burps in to disrupt work because somebody is working manning the gate. Do not take your work for granted especially if you don’t have formal education. Each member of staff in the work environment is a contributor whether CEO or Janitor.

Undoubtedly, some work is not laborious but that’s what it is work! I think that if everyone finds their places and does what they enjoy doing or what they should do, everyone will have fun working. For instance, I drive to work myself but if I have my way, I will park my car and join somebody to work every day instead of driving. However, I have to drive because I take my child to school, get some groceries on my way back home and it’s more comfortable to have control of your time. Nonetheless, I am not going to apply to drive even the Governor no matter how lucrative it is because driving is not my fixation. However, I know a man in my workplace that drives for the company. He loves to drive and even looks forward to driving. We have traveled several times across Nigeria and sometimes in quick successions, but he enjoys doing it. During one of our very long trips, I offered to drive a while because I felt he should be exhausted to covering such a large distance, but he refused. Over time, the company assigned him to someone who doesn’t travel, he felt like he was serving a jail term not traveling. He likes to travel, he loves to drive, and that is his fixation. Driving is laborious to me but fun to him. His job is his hobby, so he is enjoying work. I have also been driven by people who don’t like to drive but they were employed as drivers. The difference is quite appreciable.

Work, therefore is not something that is necessarily laborious but something you do to give and/or get value. Usually, value does not always have to be monetary. Money is indeed a form of value but value is not always money. Value could be healthier relationships with family, friends and associates, good health, knowledge, etc. Conclusively, God saw that His work was good after each day’s work and on completion of His work; He saw that all He created was good. Therefore, do your daily job/work with the right mindset, giving or deriving the consequent value.