You want grape juice. I'm an apple!

Yesterday I had my own little epiphany.  It's not something I didn't already know perse, but somehow the thought was all new to me.  We often become frustrated with various relationships, dealings with people, our jobs, and other things.  We don't realize the simple fact that things won't produce the proper results when they are not operating in the right place.  For instance...

You ever been to your favorite restaurant and you notice that one employee who is always having a bad day, always has an attitude, and never has anything welcoming to say?  Nine times out of 10, they probably really hate their job.  Because of that, they don't take the necessary effort to do a great job, go above and beyond, or even make you feel welcomed.  This is annoying for the customer, but when I leave there, I feel bad for them because I realize they are just not in the right position.  They're not doing what makes them happy.  As a result, they're not producing the right results.  As managers, it's also our job to see to it that your employees are in a place where their skills are better utilized so they can produce better results, be happy, and make everyone around them happy as well.

Take this same scenario and relate it to your personal relationships.  You won't get the best results out of someone when you have them in the wrong place in your life.  Position them in the place where they are supposed to be and they'll produce better results.  If they're in the wrong place, they can't produce the right results, because they're not operating in the correct position.  They can't give you the value that you seek from them because their in the wrong spot!

You can be holding a person back from what they were intended to accomplish because you keep them in the wrong place in your life.  You will be unhappy because they can't give you what you need from them, and ultimately they will be unhappy because you're unsatisfied or unappreciative.  You won't get what you need out of them because that's not the position they were supposed to fill in your life in the first place!  Save yourself the unnecessary frustration of trying to pump water out of a well that is dry!  That doesn't mean they are useless in your life.  It means they are dry to giving you what you expect from them if you hold them in the wrong place in your life, and in your heart.

My challenge to you today is to step back - think of your personal relationships, your job, etc. Find out where you need to be, so you can be happy and the people around you can be happy.  You can expect too much from a person that can't give you what you need because that's not the place they were supposed to be in the first place.  Find what makes them valuable to you and put them in that place where they can add that value to your life.  If you like grape juice, stop trying to juice an apple.  The taste won't be as refreshing for you.

L8r:

~faithful