Ep. 265 How To Fight For Joy On The Job - Pt. 2

[00:00:00] Welcome to Hustle in Faith. This podcast is dedicated to helping women who want to analyze,

[00:00:18] apply and amplify their God-given gifts. We accomplish this by discussing topics such as

[00:00:24] business, self-improvement, health and beauty, and my random thoughts about life from a Christian

[00:00:29] perspective. I'm your host, Latasha Johnson. Are you tired of feeling less than enough just because

[00:00:37] you're single? Then you'll love my new book, How to Live an Extraordinary Life With or Without

[00:00:43] Mr. Right, a Christian woman's guide on how to survive and thrive on single avenue. It's time

[00:00:50] to acknowledge, address and dismantle the harmful limited mindset many single Christian women

[00:00:56] have internalized. Take the first step to discover and embrace the plans God has in store for you.

[00:01:02] If you want to be notified when the book is released, please check out the Hustle in Faith

[00:01:07] website. I cannot wait to share this with all my single ladies. You have everything you need

[00:01:12] to live an extraordinary life with or without Mr. Right.

[00:01:24] Have you ever worked for or with someone where you could clearly see that wisdom has been chasing

[00:01:30] them but they've always been faster? Then you are going to love my seven tips

[00:01:37] for how to fight for joy on the job so you can stay sane. I've been working for a very long time.

[00:01:44] When I was in high school, I worked in fast food and retail. And then I got a sneak peek at the

[00:01:50] corporate world while I was attending college. And then of course after I graduated from college,

[00:01:55] I remained in the corporate world. Now I've been in a position to work for people who encourage

[00:02:00] me to grow, while others chose to create a toxic environment to prevent me from outperforming

[00:02:06] them. Despite wherever God planted me, he made sure I would bloom. However, this would not have

[00:02:15] been possible if he hadn't taught me these seven tips. Tip number one, always remember your why.

[00:02:24] Colossians 323 reads, and whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men.

[00:02:32] Please keep this in mind. This is not contingent on whether or not you're working in your dream job.

[00:02:39] Regardless of what your job is, you need to approach it from the mindset that you're working

[00:02:44] for God and not for man. So with that said, if God shadowed you at work for a day,

[00:02:52] would he be proud of you? Or would he be ready to fire you? Obviously, if you're not performing

[00:02:58] well, then you need to change your behavior. Okay? But if you're doing your best, then you have nothing

[00:03:05] to worry about. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to do our best. Remember,

[00:03:12] this is because without a doubt, you will encounter people, especially in the corporate world,

[00:03:18] who want nothing more than to steal your sparkle. You can have the best,

[00:03:25] you could have the best demeanor, have your clients love you, exceed your goals, and it still won't

[00:03:31] be enough for some people. And sadly, many times these people may view you from a negative perspective

[00:03:38] because your ability to flourish, especially in hostile environments, reminds these sad,

[00:03:44] pathetic individuals of their own insecurities. I want you to remember that this is not

[00:03:50] something that should concern you. As long as you know God's pleased with you, that's the only

[00:03:56] opinion that matters. I never lose sight of why I'm on that job. And that is to make money. If I

[00:04:04] make friends on the job, great, but I never forget the fact that these people are not my family.

[00:04:12] We probably would never even cross paths with these people nine times out of 10,

[00:04:18] if it wasn't for that job, right? And that's why tip number two is especially important.

[00:04:24] Have the courage to set boundaries. Joshua one versus eight through nine reads, this book of the

[00:04:32] law shall not perp in your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe

[00:04:37] to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,

[00:04:43] and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you be strong enough to courage,

[00:04:48] do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

[00:04:56] If you want to have joy in the job, you have got to have the courage to set boundaries.

[00:05:00] There are people in this world who get a sick kick out of seeing how far people will go

[00:05:06] to prove that they really want the job and will do whatever it takes to keep the job.

[00:05:11] And I decided very early on in my career that I would not engage in Jedi mind games,

[00:05:18] nor be a doormat. It's not worth it to me. I'm not trying to sound arrogant,

[00:05:25] but I'm really good at what I do. You give me a goal, I will do my best to achieve it,

[00:05:30] and nine times out of 10, I'm going to exceed it. Okay.

[00:05:34] Emphasis on exceed that particular goal. Yet I've been denied raises and promotions

[00:05:41] because I don't suck up to anyone, and I refuse to engage in office politics,

[00:05:47] and I won't dumb myself down in order to stroke others egos. And yes, I literally had one of my

[00:05:53] managers ask me to dumb myself down, and I kindly said no, but you are more than welcome

[00:05:58] to join me up here. Again, if you let people set your standards and boundaries, they will forever

[00:06:08] move the goalpost. Christ is our standard. We are to set trends not follow them.

[00:06:14] Christ commanded us to be the light in the world filled with darkness.

[00:06:18] And that brings us to tip number three, be a light. And Matthew five versus 14 through 16,

[00:06:25] you are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

[00:06:29] Let your lights so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.

[00:06:36] Often I'm the only black woman wherever I work, whether it be the only one on the team,

[00:06:41] the only one in the department, sometimes the only one in the entire company. And I'm used

[00:06:47] to being noticed this way. But I'm also known for my demeanor. When I'm at work, I'm nice

[00:06:54] and respectful, but I stay to myself. Again, you will not catch me engaging in office politics.

[00:07:01] I can spot a troublemaker a mile away. I want no parts of whatever nonsense they're choosing to

[00:07:08] create. Okay. So that's why I always stay away. All right. I don't talk just to hear myself talk

[00:07:15] when I'm in a meeting. When I speak, it's to add value. And you won't catch me going to any

[00:07:20] of the happy hours, which I've always felt was like an oxymoron, but I digress. Okay. I don't drink

[00:07:25] alcohol, can't stand the smell of it. So there's no way in the world that I'm going to put my

[00:07:30] happiness on hold to prove that I'm a team player to folks who deep down regardless of what I did

[00:07:37] would never view me as a team player. Again, I always keep my why at the forefront of my mind.

[00:07:46] If I make a connection in a friendship, and I'm using that term friendship very loosely, okay.

[00:07:52] If that develops great, if not, that's okay too. The way I choose to move through the workforce

[00:08:00] is very different from other people. Sucking up, cheating, lying, stealing, setting other people

[00:08:05] up is the MO for a lot of folks, but not for me. And this is exactly why I stand out.

[00:08:11] I've been able to experience success with my integrity intact. And I've had people say to me,

[00:08:17] I'm more than one occasion. I wish I could say this or that or ask me for advice on approaching

[00:08:22] various situations. The reason they do this is because they know that I will reject what others

[00:08:29] project. And that brings us to tip number four, reject what others project. Acts 529 states,

[00:08:38] but Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we auto beg God rather than men.

[00:08:44] If people are your standard, you are setting yourself up to fail. I know that I am smart,

[00:08:51] kind, direct, and confident. If someone attempts to disrespect me, I will stand up for myself

[00:08:57] without thinking twice. For some reason, that rubs people the wrong way, especially as a black

[00:09:02] woman. Some people have this warped twisted idea that when someone who looks like me

[00:09:08] defends themselves or disagrees with their point is automatically labeled as an angry black woman,

[00:09:16] I refuse to accept this nonsense. I touch on this further in other episodes and in my upcoming book,

[00:09:22] but the main point I want you to take away is do not give in to that nonsense.

[00:09:30] Even the Bible says in Ephesians 426, be angry and thin not. If someone made you angry,

[00:09:37] is lying on you or someone is going out of their way to force you to accept their viewpoint and

[00:09:44] you disagree, you have the right to express yourself and let that person know that their

[00:09:50] behavior offended you and put them on notice that it will not be tolerated.

[00:09:56] I don't waste my time and energy on people who clearly are not meant to be a part of my world.

[00:10:01] I channel all that energy to ensure that I'm devoting it to people and resources

[00:10:08] that will bring me to the next level in life. And that's tip number five, it's time to level up.

[00:10:15] James 1.5 states, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally

[00:10:22] and without reproach, and it will be given to him. I can't tell you how many times there have been so

[00:10:29] many different types of knowledge that I've wanted to acquire on the job, only to have

[00:10:37] management tell me, oh, we don't have funding for this or that. And nine times out of 10,

[00:10:42] what it is is that person who's in charge is insecure and has no desire to have you

[00:10:50] outshine them. So many times they will hold back funding or say that they just don't have the budget

[00:10:55] for it when it's for certain other folks, they can magically find that funding, right? I'm sure

[00:11:02] you all understand what I'm getting at here. So even though your job may not be in a position

[00:11:10] or be willing to help you get continuing education, your career trajectory depends on

[00:11:18] that, right? So you need to be willing to invest in yourself and make sure that you get that information,

[00:11:24] you get that knowledge regardless of whether someone is funding it for you or not. Okay?

[00:11:30] In the event that you are not in a position to pay for additional education, you've got the

[00:11:34] school YouTube, that is something that did not exist when I was younger. I wish I had that,

[00:11:40] right? There are so many different opportunities and avenues that you can go about to acquire

[00:11:45] the information that's going to take you to the next level. Do not allow someone's unwillingness

[00:11:51] to aid in your education, stop you from getting the information that you need, okay?

[00:11:57] And then once you get that information, that brings us to tip number six, pay it forward.

[00:12:05] In Hebrews 1316, it reads, but do not forget to do good and to share.

[00:12:11] Or with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. So what this is essentially stating is that once

[00:12:18] you've got that information, once you've got that knowledge, don't just keep it all to yourself,

[00:12:24] okay? Make sure that you pay it forward and if you see someone else that's less fortunate,

[00:12:29] make sure that you share that knowledge with them. There's so much darkness in this world

[00:12:35] and it only takes two seconds to be nice to someone. One word of kindness, one piece of

[00:12:42] information could forever change that person's world. So why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?

[00:12:50] God has blessed us so much with being in a position to help other people and

[00:12:55] it's not just when he blesses you, it's not just that you keep that to yourself.

[00:13:01] You're supposed to be a blessing to other people and I think a lot of people forget that.

[00:13:07] When you receive a blessing, make sure that you in turn are being a blessing to someone else,

[00:13:13] okay? We're not to just sit here and just keep all of that information and all of that to our self.

[00:13:19] That's not fair. And last but not least, tip number seven, know when to bounce

[00:13:26] and that's Proverbs 22-29. Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings.

[00:13:32] He will not stand before unknown men. So I know some of you may be thinking, okay, what do you mean

[00:13:39] by know when to bounce? What is this stuff about kings? Essentially what I'm stating is that

[00:13:46] if you are growing, you will realize that God is moving you along through the workforce. If you

[00:13:54] are growing, that means you're not going to be stagnant, right? So when you are growing,

[00:14:02] he's going to be showing you signs along the way, hey, I want you to acquire this type of gift.

[00:14:08] I want you to acquire this gift and this gift and this gift. And then eventually you're

[00:14:12] going to have all these gifts that are going to be used somewhere else, okay? Because if you're not

[00:14:20] in a position to necessarily bloom where you are planted, that could be God's way and things

[00:14:26] are starting to get uncomfortable. That could be God's sign of telling you, get ready. I'm getting

[00:14:33] ready to move you on. And you have to be in a position to be willing to move on, okay?

[00:14:41] There are so many detours that we take in life, but some of us don't necessarily see the signs

[00:14:48] that God has been trying to give us all along to tell us that, hey, I'm getting ready to move you on

[00:14:53] to somewhere else because some litany of us are still trying to hold on. Well, I'm comfortable

[00:14:58] here. I know what's going on here and that's true. You do know what's going on there.

[00:15:03] You may be comfortable, but in order to grow and get to the next level, I've got to make

[00:15:09] things a little bit uncomfortable for you. So you're willing to see that it's time for you to go.

[00:15:15] Now, I'm not saying you have to go out there and quit your job. That's not what I'm saying at

[00:15:18] all, okay? But some of us deep down know that we have overstayed our welcome because we're

[00:15:25] just too comfortable and we're scared to see what else is out there. And I want to let

[00:15:31] you know that, hey, you and I both know that it's time to bounce. You've got to

[00:15:37] know when it's time to cut your losses and move on. And or not necessarily cut your losses,

[00:15:43] but make sure that you know what? I've learned everything that I can do here. These folks

[00:15:49] are stifling my growth. You know what? I'm going to start exploring other conversations

[00:15:55] with folks that I feel like are more my speed and will help me get to the next level.

[00:16:01] So these are the seven tips that I keep in mind to help me stay sane on the job. And again,

[00:16:08] the job, the corporate world is a battlefield, okay? You have got to fight to keep your joy,

[00:16:15] but it is possible to fight for joy and have joy on the job. Okay? A lot of times people

[00:16:23] want respect that they're not willing to give. And it's up to you to make sure

[00:16:28] that you are doing your best to fight to have joy on the job and stay sane. That responsibility

[00:16:34] is solely on you, okay? And you need to make sure that you are positioning yourself in such a way

[00:16:40] that you're advocating for yourself and making sure that you are also staying flexible enough to

[00:16:48] realize when there are other opportunities that God is trying to use to stretch you

[00:16:53] to take you to another level.