If you think as I do, personal development is an inside job. Therefore, no one is ever really ‘unemployed’ or ‘underemployed’ if they are working on their own development at some level. I mention this perspective because I was struck by two occurrences this week.
The first occurrence was the posting of a quote by the late self-help guru, Jim Rohn: “The greatest gift you can give to somebody is your own personal development. I used to say, ‘If you will take care of me, I will take care of you.’ Now I say, ‘I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.'”
The second occurrence may seem unrelated but stay with me a moment — it was the fast food boycott over low wages that happened this week. The debate is not a new one: many industries thrive creating business processes that depend on entry- level positions and compensation associated with entry-level positions — usually minimum wage. No one is arguing whether you can support yourself on the wages earned from an entry-level position. The argument, or debate as I prefer to refer to it is, are these positions designed to be wage-earning careers or entry-level employment.
I will not be oblique about where I stand as both an expert in the field of personal development and a business owner. Entry-level employment is just that — entry level. Most minimum wage positions are not intended to be careers. My position does not imply I do not understand that some life circumstances lock individuals into untenable job situations. I have known my share of Phd’s who took minimum wage jobs just to have some income. What my position does imply is that at every level, at every moment, we must take personal responsibility to make ourselves and our lives better. The day we give up our responsibility for our own development and give it over to some company or government to take care of us, is the day we stop dreaming, stop hoping and stop trying.
As I do the labor I love on this Labor Day holiday, my wish for you is that you get to do the same. Thank you, Andrea
