We Must Get Back to Work

Let’s get back to work! We were not created to stay home and let the world go by. We were created to be productive citizens in our every day life. There’s much satisfaction to be had from a good days work. One of the most devastating ramifications from the Covid pandemic is that it has fostered a population who is now more comfortable sitting at home receiving a check from our government and not doing the work required to earn it. What seemed at the time like a rescue, a lifesaver thrown to us in the beginning at the onset of the pandemic to help us get through a difficult time, has now turned into dependence. Choosing to receive a check from our government because it’s more than you made before and not working, is not helping society. The side effects of which are tremendous not only on the individual but on our communities, our states, our regions, and our country.

Initially, the greatest challenge faced by many of our small business owners was that they were under restrictions and not allowed to open their doors. Now with restrictions lifted and doors are allowed to be open the business owners are now faced with not enough employees to keep their business open. From the small business owner, to the superintendents in our school systems, to industry leaders, the greatest challenge faced is the same, they all need more individuals willing to get up off the couch, and get back to work.

If we step back and take a look at where we were two years ago and where we are today it has been a slow fade. Which has turned into an entirely new pandemic in itself. The lasting effect stimulus money is having in our culture, local and national economy is extensive but the effect it’s having on the individuals themselves who were once employed, is even more detrimental. What nobody is talking about is the emotional impact resulting from not being a productive member of society. This is devastating to an individual’s self-esteem. We were created to make a difference in the circles of influence where we live, work and play. The confidence and self-esteem gained from productivity is priceless. So we must fight through the lack of motivation, and choose to contribute by working to get ourselves back to where we need to be as individuals, which will then in turn strengthen our local and national economies. Even if it means choosing to take a job earning less money than we would receive from getting paid by our government to stay home. Because the opportunity for personal growth and development far outweighs stagnation and loss of self-esteem.

Another reality we cannot afford to miss is as a result of the lack of employees, many manufacturers and industries had been forced to look for other options in order to achieve their goals and keep their doors open to deliver to their customers. As employees choose to stay home, not work, and receive money from our government, our industries have been forced into a position where robotics and automation are their only alternative to getting the job done. The impact this will have on the employees who used to fill those positions is when the money runs out and they are forced to go back to work many of those jobs will by then have been replaced with robotics and the need for employees will no longer be as great. So, there is certainly a false sense of security in thinking that whenever you get around to it the job you once had is going to be sitting there waiting for you. Because the harsh reality is your may very well have been replaced and no longer needed.

Step back and take a look at the larger picture and ask yourself what can be done and what can I do to help? It’s interesting in reflection of many of the columns I’ve written over the past seven years have been focused on how we can volunteer our time to make a difference in our community. Today the focus is instead on how we can help encourage those around us and possibly motivate ourselves to get up and get back to work in order to make a difference in our communities and even more importantly, in ourselves.

Carpe diem, seize the day! We must all make the commitment to do our part because that is all we have control over. And when we do, we will begin to take back the ground which has been lost.