Gumption. Or, in layperson’s terms, Getting on in the world.

Marjorie is pretty big on Gumption. It’s the kind of quality that you’ll know when you see it in action. For me, having gumption means not complaining about minor difficulties and reminding myself that certain problems are not that stressful in the grand scheme of things.

Work this week was long and tiring. So much so that I’ve broken one of our ‘good’ plates and let a few other necessities slide. And had far more coffee than is good for me. This morning I made myself go for a run, and I’ve been reaping the physical and mental benefits all day. I need to have more gumption about work. It really doesn’t dominate my life the way so many other people’s jobs seem to, and most of the time I don’t need to remind myself how lucky I am to work in an usual profession doing something most people who enjoy writing would love to do.

Good Job

I dread performance reviews for my job. I have a pretty good work ethic and care about my job a lot. I also like my job and I want to keep it, so I always get a little stressed when my annual review comes up. I probably shouldn’t worry so much, but I am a worrier and there’s not much I can do to change this – trust me, I’ve tried.

Anyway, today was a good day and my review went smoothly. In fact, it went much better than I expected and I got some very welcome positive feedback. I’ve had a lovely afternoon as a result. I decided to treat myself to an hour alone with a book and a nice lunch in l’Gueuleton. It was delicious, as the food here usually is, and it was a very good use of my lunch break. Good job, l’Gueuleton.

Getting On In The World

I work in a specialised field. To say my job is in a niche sector would be an understatement. While it has many upsides, one major fly in the ointment is my working hours. They can be, to say the least, erratic and unusual. Tomorrow is one such day. It will be a long, difficult day and I won’t get home until very late.

Today was a pretty manageable day, and when getting on the train for my short morning commute I thought what advice Marjorie would give me about my strange working hours and odd schedule. I think she’d tell me to get on with things and stop complaining, even in my head to myself, about my situation. She would probably ask me what I could or would do about changing my situation if I wasn’t happy, or whether I should realise how lucky I am to work in a field I enjoy, in a secure job that makes me happy about 85% of the time.

Her brusque, no-nonsense approach makes a lot of sense. Getting On In The World isn’t about everything being just how you like it. It involves realising that practically no one has everything they want, be it time, money, or the right work-life balance. Marjorie tells us we’d be better off thinking things over and realising that not many people will fall for hard luck stories about how difficult you have it compared to others.

She’s right. I’ll stop off at my favourite bakery for my usual coffee and pastry and focus on the job at hand. Sometimes you need to appreciate the orchids that you haven’t seen as orchids up to now, like a job you enjoy even if other aspects of the working world aren’t so appealing.