Be Thankful for Your Troubles

Has it ever occurred to you to be thankful for the troubles and problems of your job?

You ought to be, because they provide at least half your pay. If it were not for the things that go wrong, the trying people you have to deal with in your work, the worries and discouragement's, and the headache situations-someone could be found to handle your job for about half as much as you are being paid.

As a matter of fact, it is difficulties and discouragement's that create good jobs for thousands of us.

If machines always behaved, if they turned out perfect products hour after hour, there would be no need for anybody to tend to them, and no jobs for inspectors. Nor would there be any need for repair crews of machinists, electricians, stream fitters, etc.

If the people in an organization never made mistakes, never forgot or overlooked anything, never got into each other's hair, there would be no need for managers, superintendents, department heads or foremen.

Problems make jobs. The more problems connected with a position, the better it pays. The reason you are not holding down a bigger job may be because, without realizing it, you are trying to side-step the problems of your present job instead of looking upon them for what they really are-stepping stones to promotion and better pay.

If you face the difficulties of your job squarely, and learn to handle them cheerfully and efficiently, you are likely to find yourself getting ahead suprisingly fast. For there are plenty of bigger jobs waiting for men and women who are not afraid of the troubles connected with them.

Mastering problems develops strength of character-the ability to face life unafraid.

Without this ability, you are only half a person-the eating-sleeping-working half, not the living half which enjoys the adventure of life, attracts friends, and is welcome everywhere.

The world saves its greatest prizes for men with the strength of character to master troublesome problems and rise above discouragement's and handicaps.

But just being willing to face difficulties is not enough. We must learn to manage them. If we do not, they will manage us-and spoil our happiness.

Nor is it enough to be able to manage the problems connected with our work. We must learn to do a good job of managing the worries and anxieties of our daily life outside of working hours-the home and family problems, and the unhappy situations we sometimes get into with our neighbors and friends.

Whatever our troubles, whether they are little nagging ones or big ones that almost overwhelm us, there are five simple rules for managing them:

These five rules will be explained briefly in the following pages. Learn to use them and you will have the secret of managing your difficulties and discouragement's so that they will no longer have the power to get you down.

It isn't that the "big" people we know have an easier time. Most of them have their full share of troubles, but they have learned to live with them and order them around.