This is My Domain

My wife told me that when she was young, she saw her grandfather sitting outside by himself at his home’s shop. It was sunset… no radio… no telephone… just quietly sitting. She crawled into his lap and asked what he was doing. With outstretched arms, he looked around at his home and yard and stated, “I’m just staring at this… this is my domain.” She never forgot those words, and how proud he was of the fruits of his labor. Although she didn't realize it at the time, it was a moment that had a huge impact on her for the rest of her life.

He was a Deputy Sherriff of a small town in north Georgia. A simple man. His home was modest, but he worked hard for the things he had- and he felt gratitude and a sense of pride.

When we work hard, we have an appreciation for things that otherwise would have no real value. It’s even sweeter when someone joins you in that appreciation. When something is handed to us, without earning it, we cannot truly appreciate it. That’s why I’m thankful for challenging work. It’s not always the size of the reward that matters most, but how many little, meaningful, and fulfilling rewards we gain from our efforts.

Sometimes we win big, and other times we work harder than ever only to have a modest gain… but those small wins mean a lot when we have given it our all. The level of expectations at work can sometimes be unrealistic. Without massive achievements, we can let ourselves become discouraged easily over time- but that shouldn't be the case. We shouldn’t forget the effort it has taken for others to get a simple win- no matter how small it may seem in the larger scheme of things.

We need to make it a point to recognize and celebrate a small win that was a hard-fought battle when we see it. Remember, that is someone’s “domain.”

Thanks to Jimmy Collins for the inspiration from your books, "Jimmy's Stories" and "Creative Followership"