Help

We are humans. And as such, we are vulnerable. We have great things that we strive towards and do. And in that same breath, we have other tasks that we just cannot complete with any certainty of proper completion.

I, for one, believe that everybody has something that they can do exceptionally well.  This gift is usually a diamond in the rough. You must work at it, polishing each skill until it glistens. Learning your trade and becoming the expert takes hard work. Yet the core of your gift is always there, waiting for you to dig it out and start to use it.

So, how do you accomplish those tasks that you’re not really good at? One way is to trade what you do well to others who need what you do. And, the other person can exchange their best services which you need in exchange for your services, helping them. Does this sound like the start of commerce? Well, I imagined it works really well until someone in Mesopotamia finally figured out the touchstone. Ever since then, our trade seems to be centered around everything from precious metals to plastic.

If I need some cabinets built, everyone cringes. They have seen me with power tools. I can work hard for days at a time, jump on an airplane, and sleep during the trip to a South Pacific island. I wake up right before the plane lands, and work for the next 3 to 4 days diagnosing and repairing sensitive electronics with little more than an hour or two of rest per night. When I get back home from the trip, it is obvious I need to hire a housekeeper to help me out on occasion. I’m just not good at housework.

It is okay to admit that you’re not good at something. Because recognizing the fact gives you a choice. You can either live in poor conditions, or you can trade what you do well for what others do well. This is the essence of how we work.

I will grant you that these days I work for one person who pays me what I am worth in monetary currency. I take that currency and give it to someone else for something that they do well, and I need. It’s hard sometimes to look through all the money, bank transfers, credit cards, and other financial documentation, but when you boil all that down, we are trading what we can do for those things we need to have done by someone else.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof