Caution! Pilgrims at Work
If you’re picturing pilgrims as those black-and-white clad Puritans who came over on the Mayflower, you’re not alone. That’s the image that comes to mind for most of us.
But lately, I’ve been noticing a trend –that when we look hard enough, we’re surrounded by pilgrims at work.
With pilgrim defined as “a person who journeys” and “one who embarks on a quest,” I’d observe that there are more pilgrims among us in the 21st century workplace than we may realize.
Is there one at your office? Or maybe, are you one?
With heavy apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, you just might be a pilgrim if:
You seek change. Pilgrims don’t play it safe. The original settlers traveling on the Mayflower risked their lives for something they strongly believed in that wasn’t available where they were. In their case, it was religious freedom. With some of my clients, it’s better alignment with their personal values, or more opportunity to grow and make a difference.
You create a bigger vision. Packing for the grueling New World trip in 1620, I’m sure the Pilgrims’ friends told them all kinds of things so they wouldn’t go. “It’s so far away,” one might have said. “It’s dangerous.” “Things will change here–just wait it out.” But the Pilgrims committed to the voyage with a bigger vision for their work and life–even though they’d never experienced it before.
You struggle. History says the Mayflower traveled two miles an hour, traveling to America in about 65 days. (Today, we’re annoyed when the pizza can’t get here in less than 30 minutes.) They couldn’t light a fire–the ship was all wood. No wonder the raw
Pages: 1 2