Willie, excellent point about "never saying no." I have several family members who became successful by sticking with a company and doing the things no one else wanted to do. Most people moved on because they always felt the job was below them. In the end, a place of business needs someone to run it, and if you're the one who stays and learns the business while everyone leaves, you might find yourself at the top almost by default.
I do wonder though how the "Go Big or Go Home" mentality and the interpretation of it affects our way of thinking, especially when looking for a spouse.
For instance, if someone is happy with their job and has no interest in big promotions or running/owning the company, society sees that person as a "loser" because they aren't taking risks or "going for it", with "it" meaning more prestige and a higher salary. I think the pressure can be hard for Christian men in particular because there is so much emphasis on being "the leader". A company needs good team members just as much as leaders. What if someone, man or woman, is more apt to being a team member than the team leader? Everyone is trained to supposedly want "the leader", not the "team member".
I've run into this in my own dating life--I don't have a "CEO" mentality and I don't think I'm meant for it. We are all built for different things. I've grown up around "CEO"-type people and I see the tremendous amount of stress and toll it's taken in their lives and while I admire them immensely, I know I couldn't live like that. Because of this, I know men have seen me as "unambitious" and probably even lazy because I'm not "going big" in my career. And I also struggle on and off with myself because of it--am I just too lazy to go after the "big things" God wants for me? Is He disappointed in me because I have no desire to run a corporation myself?
However, I've come to the conclusion that I believe I know who I am and who God made me to be. I'm at my best as a trustworthy, reliable assistant, whether or not the person I'm assisting appreciates that. Give me a list of things to do and I will get them done to the best of my ability. I also don't expect a man to necessarily want to climb to the top of the ladder if he's happy at his job and living life responsibly. What a blessing it is to actually enjoy one's work, and it's very rare to find. Now of course, if he wants to "go big", that's great! If not, and he's making his way just fine, I think that's great, too. "Going Big" can take on many different meanings.
My "Go Big" moment right now is hoping to retire at 55 so that I can live life on my own terms. Most people think that the only way to succeed is to clamor for the top, and if God built you that way, wonderful! Go for it! But I'm just a regular person in a regular place in life doing regular things. And someday, I'm hoping they're going to have a "big" payoff.
I don't mind being overlooked or dismissed because my supposed ambitions aren't "big" enough. If someone isn't interested in me because I'm not "driven" enough, I understand. But if a man takes the time to get to know me, he'll know that he doesn't have to worry about me not pulling my weight. I don't have fancy things but they're paid for. I don't have a car payment but my car won't last forever, so I still "make" a car payment regularly to my savings so that when the time comes, I can buy another car without a loan.
I suppose to anyone else, this doesn't look like "Going Big"--saving a few dollars here and there by doing things such as making my own iced coffee instead of paying $5 at Starbucks--but I think this is another misconception.
Most people think that you have to"Go Big" by taking leaps and bounds and if that's not happening, then you might as well "go home."
But in most cases, I think "Going Big" usually comes in the form of little steps, sometimes so small that we think they're insignificant. "Going Big" might mean saving a few dollars here and there or doing the jobs everyone else refuses to do, but you do it consistently. (Someone who offers to do the lowliest of jobs isn't seen as "going big", but it could just be another small step.)
And when you've taken those small steps on a regular basis over a long period of time, some day when you actually look back at where all those steps have taken you, you just might find yourself in a much bigger place than you'd ever imagined.
I do wonder though how the "Go Big or Go Home" mentality and the interpretation of it affects our way of thinking, especially when looking for a spouse.
For instance, if someone is happy with their job and has no interest in big promotions or running/owning the company, society sees that person as a "loser" because they aren't taking risks or "going for it", with "it" meaning more prestige and a higher salary. I think the pressure can be hard for Christian men in particular because there is so much emphasis on being "the leader". A company needs good team members just as much as leaders. What if someone, man or woman, is more apt to being a team member than the team leader? Everyone is trained to supposedly want "the leader", not the "team member".
I've run into this in my own dating life--I don't have a "CEO" mentality and I don't think I'm meant for it. We are all built for different things. I've grown up around "CEO"-type people and I see the tremendous amount of stress and toll it's taken in their lives and while I admire them immensely, I know I couldn't live like that. Because of this, I know men have seen me as "unambitious" and probably even lazy because I'm not "going big" in my career. And I also struggle on and off with myself because of it--am I just too lazy to go after the "big things" God wants for me? Is He disappointed in me because I have no desire to run a corporation myself?
However, I've come to the conclusion that I believe I know who I am and who God made me to be. I'm at my best as a trustworthy, reliable assistant, whether or not the person I'm assisting appreciates that. Give me a list of things to do and I will get them done to the best of my ability. I also don't expect a man to necessarily want to climb to the top of the ladder if he's happy at his job and living life responsibly. What a blessing it is to actually enjoy one's work, and it's very rare to find. Now of course, if he wants to "go big", that's great! If not, and he's making his way just fine, I think that's great, too. "Going Big" can take on many different meanings.
My "Go Big" moment right now is hoping to retire at 55 so that I can live life on my own terms. Most people think that the only way to succeed is to clamor for the top, and if God built you that way, wonderful! Go for it! But I'm just a regular person in a regular place in life doing regular things. And someday, I'm hoping they're going to have a "big" payoff.
I don't mind being overlooked or dismissed because my supposed ambitions aren't "big" enough. If someone isn't interested in me because I'm not "driven" enough, I understand. But if a man takes the time to get to know me, he'll know that he doesn't have to worry about me not pulling my weight. I don't have fancy things but they're paid for. I don't have a car payment but my car won't last forever, so I still "make" a car payment regularly to my savings so that when the time comes, I can buy another car without a loan.
I suppose to anyone else, this doesn't look like "Going Big"--saving a few dollars here and there by doing things such as making my own iced coffee instead of paying $5 at Starbucks--but I think this is another misconception.
Most people think that you have to"Go Big" by taking leaps and bounds and if that's not happening, then you might as well "go home."
But in most cases, I think "Going Big" usually comes in the form of little steps, sometimes so small that we think they're insignificant. "Going Big" might mean saving a few dollars here and there or doing the jobs everyone else refuses to do, but you do it consistently. (Someone who offers to do the lowliest of jobs isn't seen as "going big", but it could just be another small step.)
And when you've taken those small steps on a regular basis over a long period of time, some day when you actually look back at where all those steps have taken you, you just might find yourself in a much bigger place than you'd ever imagined.