Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-02-05
What Is Your Attitude Toward Your
Work?

A great many persons-Women,
think, in particular-have the idea
that work and happiness are like oil
and water: they will not mix If you
share that idea, the sooner you rid
yourself of 1t the sooner you will get
on to the trail that leads to success,
and until you do you cannot possibly
even be headed in the right direc-
tion. Happiness is not trust fund,
a monopoly of the rich, On the con-
trary, there are ten rich persons to
one, I'll guarantee, who would be
glad of the right to work. So, first
Of all, consider yourself privileged
character in that circumstances have
made II necessary for you to work
for your living, instead of forcing
you 10 find a way to while away the
time. Now. then, make up your mind
that you are gcing to extract just as
much of that valuable commodity,
interest" ont of your twenty-four
hours as Mrs Moneybags does out of
hers, or rather, as you think she
does, even though you do have TO
spend eight of the twenty-four hours
in an office, or school room, or
factory, or wherever it may be that
you finally landed a chance to work. |
Every morning before you start to
work, and every night before you go |
TO sleep, want you to perform some
mental gymnastics. Did you ever no.
tice a dog shake water off his back? !
Well, then, in just that way, meta
phorically speaking, | want you to
shake out of your mind or conscious
ness all the petty worries and per-
plexities that you carried about with
you all day. You cannot do your best
work or get the satisfaction out Of
the doing that you should if you al
low your mind to be clouded all the
while with an undercurrent of little
worries, however. trifling.
1t is a good plan, therefore, to line
them up before you, If they persist
in obtruding themselves so that you
cannot sleep. Look each one square
ly in the face, so to speak. Bring
your common-sensc and reason to
bear upon them, and decide what to
do about each, then, with the con-
seriousness that worrying about them
further won't help any, you ought to
be able to turn over and sleep the !
sleep of the conscience-free.
Be up in the morning at least an
hour before you have to start out. /
You will find that dressing slowly is
a great help to starting the day right. |
in the meantime take occasion to ad- /
just your plans for the day. Person
ally, | always make out written /
schedule, and then cross off the items
as they are accomplished. Taking
plenty of time for few simple exer-
cises, or to sew tears, or do any OF
the thousand and one little things
that always confront girl, you will
find this hour, say, put to better
advantage than an extra half hours
sleep and then dash for the office
would be.
Approach your work each day with
a will, a sincere interest. Even If 1t
Is not particularly congenial work,
try to cultivate an interest for it, II
only in the way of regarding 1t as
stepping stone to something better.
In that way only can you play the
game fairly, and you DO want to play
it fair, don't you? If not, don't play
ii.
Don't regard your work, either
solely as your employers work. 1t
is your work just as much as the
work he is doing is for some one
higher up, presumably, yet is his.
Remember we are all cogs In big |
wheel, and while each cog is neces-
sary to the whole, it is q separate and
independent feature as well.
Keep your mind on the work OF the
present, but with the idea of progress
always running along with 1t. How
ever unimportsnt the work you are
compelled to do may seem, or how
ever irksome, try to realize that you
are making bricks" all the time
You are fitting yourself, If you are
conscientious, for that position high
er up. and don't forget this--it is
bound to come
Keep in mind the dignity of labor,
and that whatever It is, to you work
has a serious purpose. So many girls
work from day to day with the hope,
which perhaps they would not admit
to themselves, that something will
turn up to take them out of 1t. That
makes work drudgery.
Make It your interest to learn the
details Of your work. Keep posted.
Learn to know and measure values.
II is one of the most valuable assets
Kaan unnr mind