My dad (the pastor) likes to tell a story about someone approaching him after church one day, complaining about how the pencils were dull in the pews—some of them didn’t even have lead. GASP! My dad, wise beyond his years, simply said, “Have you ever thought about sharpening them?”
I know this is a huge problem within the church—we’re all familiar with the 20/80 rule—but I think this problem extends to our everyday lives. Too often we get caught up saying to ourselves, “I wish someone would take care of this,” or, “That’s not in my job description.“
Maybe if we all just saw a need and filled it instead of complaining or waiting around for someone else to do it, things would run a little smoother. Maybe the next time we see a pencil that’s dull we’ll just go sharpen it.
ps. This post was inspired by a hair on the rim of the toilet at work.
pss. Said hair has been removed.
I have had jobs where this was a constant problem. I think you hit the nail on the head. I used to tell my employees don’t come to me with problems unless you also have a potential solution.