Being Faithful Over a Little

Less is more. Period.

Managing a small number of tasks, having less money, working in an entry level job, driving an old car; all of these things are for all intents and purposes, insignificant. According to the societal standard that having loads of money and shoving that in other people's faces means you've arrived or that running a 1MM+ company proves your value, with only a little, you aren't doing shit.

Money Isn't Everything, Right?

Let me be clear. Having a lot of money is an accomplishment. Similar to a growing toddler that can use the big girl potty, something clearly has been attained. What isn't clear is why having a pile of cash is still such a big deal. Singers are constantly telling society at large that money won't buy you happiness, while raking it in on highly publicized tours. Motivational speakers proclaim how the amount you've amassed in your bank account won't solve all your problems, while happily taking your money at the door to their happiness seminar. Are you as confused as I am?

What does ring true to me, is the concept that being responsible for a few tasks and completing said tasks impeccably well, can prove your value and denote success more than accidentally becoming a millionaire after 12 months of hard work.

When given a little bit of responsibility, I'd argue that following through is more important than how well you manage a loaded company and here is why. If you can be truthful, prove your effectiveness, and show up to do the work every day with less responsibility, you can be trusted with more responsibility.

You've shown you can be trusted because regardless of what you are capable of doing, you do the work and you excel. When you have plenty and haven't experienced less, you seem more likely to be unaware of how blessed you really are. There is less depth to your thankfulness. Anyone in Michigan who has had a car without heat in the wintertime knows the value that having heat provides. When the time comes to get another car and they find themselves with heat, their appreciation runs deeper.

Fulfillment of Grace

I was driving home the other day and I was reminded of the verse Matthew 25:21, which reads "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

It had been a day filled with several projects. I was headed home to work on more, which I was looking forward to, and then it struck me. Last year, I had been faithful with smaller and potentially less important projects. I completed them as promised, with the utmost quality of work. Instantaneously, a feeling of grace washed over me. Poignant as it was true, I knew my faithfulness in my previous promises was bearing fruit.

Faithfulness On The Job

I'm being trusted with more now, as I was faithful with less. There is a cascading of bigger projects downstream to me, sometimes directly linked to my ability to persevere in previous roles. Regardless of your faith, it's easy to see the value in someone excelling in a position of lesser status. When slacking off would be very easy and expected, showing your commitment to the job at hand truly ups your value. Without the promise of something greater, you are showing your preparedness for that un-assumed next step.

Honesty seems to be a hot topic at the moment, so I'm choosing to ride the wave and chime in. Honesty is concurrent with accountability. Everyone is accountable for their own actions, while actually being held accountable is a totally different story. On culpability, when it comes to the business-man or woman who has "succeeded," there seems to be a portion of the story untold.

Instead of merely mentioning dreaming big, taking risks, not giving up when you hear no a thousand times, when asked "what would you want to say to someone just starting out," entrepreneurs should also be saying this:

"Have visions, make plans, and follow through with those plans. Dream big and take risks. But most importantly, be faithful in your current role and give it your all. Everyone starts somewhere. Be your best wherever that starting point is. Each step on your journey is a litmus test for your endurance. There is a morsel in every role you play, to digest and grow from. Be thankful and be faithful. That will take you where you need to go."

Conclusion

At this point, you must know what I'm going to say. Be faithful over a little, and more is to come. I can't say where or when. But give each step your all. Maybe some days just showing up is giving it your all, because you're feeling defeated and want to quit.

Don't. Resist the urge to quit.

You may get rerouted and your plans may change but that's not quitting. That's adaptability. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and remember to be thankful for each opportunity that presents itself.