Oh Yeah - I Matter.

How important do you think you are in the grand scheme of things? How important is the work you do at Company XYZ? Will they miss you when you are gone? Does your work make an impact on the organization, in your industry?

I heard a song the other day – Fred Jones Part II by Ben Folds and it was quite astonishing. The song is about a guy, Fred, and he retires after 25 years of successful work at a company. It is sad, eye opening, and quite possibly very accurate. I am not old enough to have worked at a company for that period of time and I am not near retirement age…but even still, thinking about that day is difficult. See, I love my job. No matter what I am doing for a career, it is always pretty important to me. I enjoy feeling good at something, feeling in control (at least some of the time) and I like feeling like I contribute to the success of something greater than me – to an organization. I honestly feel that my company is better because I work there – even though I may only contribute in a very small way when you consider the size of the company (HUGE).

What would it feel like to never have recognition – to not be missed when you leave? Wow… that is sad. It makes you want to take a few more risks in your job – makes you want to try just a little harder to leave something behind…maybe publish a book about something you do. One of my co-workers said something that made an impression – and perhaps he is not alone in his thoughts on this one. He said “Reality sucks!!! Must of us can only really have an impact on the world outside work.....”

Do you think that is true? And if so – how do you go to that place you call work everyday and do anything worthwhile? Hard for me to understand.