Good Leaders: How did you celebrate your job yesterday?

Yesterday was Labor Day in the USA. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century, and became a federal holiday in 1894. It’s also popularly known as the “last day of summer” in America, because most schools start the day after Labor Day. In small towns there are parades, and parties, and celebrations. So, did you celebrate?

It’s possible that most people in society don’t actually know the origin of “Labor Day.” As each day passes, fewer and fewer people belong to a labor union – where organized pools of employees who pay dues to belong to the union, advocate for themselves as a labor force.

At 55 years old now, I’ve seen a profound shift in how people feel about their “work.” The emergence of the internet has allowed people to work at many jobs from anywhere they can get WiFi. Before the internet and personal computers, people HAD TO go into the office and sit at a desk to do “white collar” jobs. That’s just not true today.

My children are 28, 27, and 22 years old – their dialogue about their “work” is much different than when my wife, Melinda, and I were their age. They have lots of choices and they are looking for a lot more purpose, meaning, and flexibility in their work. It’s a renaissance of personal freedom that we all need to celebrate.

And yet, there are still a lot of people in America who are working several jobs to make ends meet for their family. They are the people who knit together the fabric of our society. And we all need to celebrate that.

If you didn’t celebrate yesterday, it’s not too late. Simply pause right now, and say: “I’m grateful for my job today. And I’m grateful for the people who have the jobs that I don’t want to do. And I’m really, really grateful for all of the opportunities that come my way, in the good ‘ol USA.”

Amen.

So please share with me: How did you celebrate your job yesterday?