Make Any Job Your Dream Job

View the Notes & Transcript Here ⬇︎

SUMMARY
Some people might view their job as something perhaps less than glamorous, but by taking into consideration your unique talents and skills you’ll be empowered to mindfully redefine the job description to one that best expresses your unique skills and talents, in a way that honors who you are and provides more value to those you serve.


OFFER
For a limited time we’re offering a free introductory course on positivity where you’ll learn the basics of fostering a positive growth mindset, gaining clarity of purpose, and developing high value relationships. Give it a try today at learn.hashtagpositivity.com


CONNECT WITH THE SHOW
Email: [email protected]
Website: hashtagpositivity.com/podcast


TIMESTAMPS
00:30 A joke about a man who finally gets his dream job.
01:00 How to turn any job a dream job.
02:00 Story about a school bus driver who makes the ride to and from school the best part of the day for students.
04:03 How to leverage your talents and skills to craft your own unique job description.
05:30 Reflection questions
05:59 Wrap up


LINKS

• www.cbsnews.com/news/curtis-jenkins-lake-highlands-elementary-bus-driver-beloved-by-community-2019-05-24/
• robertequinn.com/uncategorized/job-crafting/

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HOST
Jonas Cain is the Facilitator of Fascination & Purveyor of Positivity of Hashtag Positivity, a social entrepreneurship that supports emerging leaders and their influencers to develop resilience to overcome life's challenges.

Transcript

INTRO
Hello and welcome to On a Positive Note, I am your host Jonas Cain.

As humans we are biologically wired to focus on what’s wrong with the world before we even recognize what’s right, which is why this podcast takes a different approach by sharing positive news stories from around the world to encourage listeners to see how they can apply these positive ideas to improve their own lives, their own families, and their own communities.

JOKE
And so, on a positive note, let’s start with the joke about the man who finally got his dream job in NYC. The job comes with a seat in a corner window with a view of the city, along with a company vehicle that’s worth $200 thousand dollars that he gets to drive around in. He says its truly a dream come true being a city bus driver!

INSIGHT
Some people might view a job as a bus driver as something perhaps a bit less glamorous, but this guy was able to find the gold in the situation and polish it so his perspective could be one of positivity and gratitude.

Certainly, being a bus driver—or another other job that combines customer service with specialized skills and dangerous situations requiring quick critical thinking—this all comes with its challenges, but keeping an open perspective can reframe the situation and is a great way to stay armed with positive internal resources to see those challenges through with aplomb.

How might you use this strategy to make your experience of everyday life more enjoyable?

STORY
And on that note, it brings us to today’s top news story which comes to us from Dallas, TX where a man named Curtis Jenkins works as a school bus driver for Lake Highlands Elementary.

Curtis isn’t your average bus driver. According to the school’s Principal, Emily Gruninger, Curtis goes way above and beyond the call of duty as a bus driver.

In an interview with CBS News, Curtis said that the students are his community and he genuinely loves them. To truly make them a community he gives every student a responsibility, including roles as police officers, administrative assistants, as president, and so forth, to create a school bus utopia where everyone takes care of each other.

And the kids really respond to this level of care, which is what Curtis says is his secret to success. He puts in time, effort, and care to understanding each and every one of the kids on his bus.

For example, throughout the year Curtis gives each student a meaningful gift. One such gift was a t-shirt with a picture from a book that the student had made, and he gave it to her as a way to encourage her to keep writing.

Other gifts have included bicycles, backpacks, birthday cards, and even turkeys at Thanksgiving, spending thousands of dollars of his own money over the years.

When asked what they think of their school bus driver, students respond that they they see the kindness in him, that they know he really cares about them, and how he’s always ready to help anyone in need.

One student, a fifth grader named Ethan, says that the bus ride is the best part of his day, noting that his parents divorced when he was only 4 years old, and that Curtis is like a father to him, the father that he always wished that he had.

INSIGHT
The average person approaches their work by consulting the job description that was given to them when they were hired, the outline of expectations and responsibilities that form the boundaries of the day-to-day work. And good employees are seen as those who conform these standards.

And then there are people like Curtis who are anything but average. These are the exceptional employees who craft their own job description, going above and beyond the expectations and responsibilities handed to them, making their job one that best fits their unique skills and talents, and one that is much more meaningful for themselves and those they serve.

Certainly, having a job like a bus driver comes with its challenges, but keeping an open perspective to redefine what it means to be a bus driver, or whatever the role happens to be, is a great way to stay armed with internal resources to see those challenges through with grace.

Some people might view their job as something perhaps less than glamorous, but by taking a cue from Curtis, you can find your own unique way to find the gold in the situation and polish it so that your perspective can be one of positivity and of gratitude.

All it takes is a little time, effort, and care.

REFLECTION

1. Have you ever met anyone like Curtis? How did they make you feel?
2. What would happen if more people approached their work more mindfully, going above and beyond to honor their unique skills and talents?
3. And finally, how can you shape your own job to bring more value to those you lead?

WRAP-UP
I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, and I encourage you to leave a rating and subscribe to the podcast, as that’s truly the best way to let others know about this positive resource.

If you have any comments or stories that you’d like to share with our listeners, you can send an email to me directly at [email protected]. And that email is also listed in the description of today’s episode.

Until next time, my name is Jonas Cain and this has been another episode of On a Positive Note.