Picking up the Poop💩
(Underappreciated…but not Unnoticed)
Is it possible to feel good about what we are doing, no matter what the service or product is?
Is it idealistic to think that purpose can be part of any business? I would like to think so, but aren’t there many examples of work that one might consider questionable, immoral, or just dirty?
A friend of mine in the business made the case that there are some businesses that people do only to make money, not because they want to do the work. Like picking up dog poop.😛
Damn – that’s a great point!🤔
When I was a teenager, I worked picking tobacco. It was hot and dirty work. The tobacco plant resin got on our hands, sticky and staining. We either picked leaves on your knees (think kneeling on rocks) or dragged a basket picking up piles of picked leaves. The sweat combined with tobacco juice stung our eyes. There was a camaraderie shared by my group of boys who were doing this work, a common bond tying us together in this experience.
What good could possibly come from picking tobacco? I mean, really, we were at the beginning of a carcinogenic supply chain! 🙄
That human experience taught me about money, work, ethics, and responsibility. It was also a bridge to other things in my life. Clearly, my picking tobacco did not benefit smokers’ health, but I believe that society needed to recognize tobacco’s detrimental effects. What I see now is that I was an instrument to get to that change.
Not many people choose to pick up dog poop because it is their calling. But any service can be an offering: by picking up dog poop, one is taking care of customers (or dogs), respecting the land with proper disposal, all while making money to resource their life.
Thich Nhat Hanh advocated for intention and gratitude when performing mundane tasks like chores.
Everyone deserves to feel purpose in their life - purpose and satisfaction in the work they do.
When we find the thread of purpose in our job or your business, we can nurture it and find fulfillment. How do we find purpose? We experience gratitude for what we do by recognizing and appreciating the positive impact we are making.🌱
My invitation to you: cultivate your sense of purpose by being present and recognizing the beneficial impacts you are making. And then smile.😊