Blog Post: Are You Stuck In A Ditch?

When I was very young, seven or eight years old, mom and dad bought us, three sisters and a brother, a horse. The horse was pretty much gray color, female and her name was Gypsy. Believe it or not, all four of us kids could sit on Gypsy’s back at the same time. She didn’t seem to mind since all we could do was walk, otherwise we’d fall off. But there was a sly side to Gypsy that we didn’t know about.   

On the days we wanted to ride her, we would head out to the pasture with the tack; bridle, saddle, and saddle pad. When Gypsy saw us coming she would lay down. No matter how hard we pulled on that horse, she would not get up. Eventually four kids gave up, and toted the tack back to the barn. Shortly after leaving Gypsy, we’d look back and she would be standing up. So we’d head back out with the tack and she would lay down. What we figured out was if Gypsy saw the tack coming she would lay down. We thought this was one smart horse until one day she laid down in a ditch. Seriously! Imagine a twelve hundred pound horse stuck in a ditch! To make it worse she struggled to get out of the ditch and made the situation much worse. Mom and dad asked our neighbor if he could pull Gypsy out of the ditch with his tractor. Carefully they put ropes around her and moved her so slowly until they pulled Gypsy out of the ditch. That was a site to see! The mare stood up, shook herself so the dirt flew off and acted like nothing happened. Something happened because she stopped laying down when she saw us coming with the tack. Gypsy willing accepted us and allowed us to pile on her and go for a ride. We always rewarded Gypsy with snacks of apples and carrots after a ride. Gypsy decided it was easier to go with the flow than get stuck in the ditch.  

Do you behave that way at work? Do you resist going with the flow? Do you lay down when you don’t want to go along? It could be a simple thing of not participating in meetings. Or not being part of the team effort that moves the company forward. You can choose to be a mover and shaker or stay in the ditch. Not every employee is going to come up with the money making deal of a life time. But every employee is part of the body of the company. The feet can’t walk without the legs. The phone won’t ring without a salesman. The phone won’t get answered without a receptionist. From the bottom to the top of the organization chart, every part is needed to make the whole company work. Every employee is a valuable key to the success of the company. Don’t ever underestimate your worth and value to the company you work for. You’re more than a pay check, you’re an asset. Give yourself to the company and it will give back to you. Go with the flow. Ride the big wage. Go shine!