It’s time to KO, TGIF
You see it on posters. It’s printed on coffee mugs. There’s even a restaurant that uses it as its name. But despite how often it pops up, it’s still one of the most subtly damaging ideas for your company and even your family. What is it?
“Thank God It’s Friday!”
Yes it’s playful and on some levels, just a silly phrase to say amongst coworkers on a Friday morning as the weekend sneaks into view. The problem though is all the ideas that ride on the coattails of that phrase. Because here’s what we really say when we say, “Thank God It’s Friday:”
- “I don’t like my job.”
- “My job is just something I have to do until I get to do the things I want to do on the weekend.”
- “Work is a chore and not fun and not enjoyable.”
Those are just three examples of what the TGIF phrase means in our jobs. There are hundreds of others. But what about our families? I mentioned it can impact us at home too. How so? Simple, little kids are little sponges. When they see you grumble on a Sunday night about not wanting to go to work, when they hear you complain on a Wednesday morning that you wish it was Friday already, they form a negative opinion of work. Work is unpleasant. Work is at best a necessary evil. Work is suffering.
They take that thought, they take those seeds you’ve planted and grow up learning to dislike work. They inherit the bad attitude and have a harder time seeing the joy and gratitude you can find in a job well done.
So what should we do?
I think it’s time to introduce a new phrase into our jobs and our families. I think it’s time for us all to remember the attitude Christ had when in John 17:4 he prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” I think it’s time for an attitude of gratitude.
It’s time for TGIM, “Thank God It’s Monday.”
Let’s head to work happy. Let’s find jobs and careers that challenge and grow us. Let’s not pretend the weekends aren’t fun, but let’s not assume you can’t have fun during the week too. Let’s show our coworkers and our employees, our spouses and our children, that work can be a blast. That you can look forward to a Monday. That at the end of the weekend, you can even grab a coffee mug that says “TGIM” and say with all sincerity,
“Thank God It’s Monday!”
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Hi Dan. Thanks for the encouraging post.
Anyone care to suggest some specific things a person might do to identify a career that is personally challenging and facilitates growth? Thanks!
I adore this sentiment!!! In all things I, as homemaker, and my husband, as provider, seek to model gratitude and purpose. This same principle applies seamlessly to chores around the home as well…may we never {albeit unknowingly} begrudge our families for the care they require!
Great encouragement! You all have an outstanding company and customer service like I have never seen before! Being strong in your company and your faith is what has and will lead you all to success!
P.S. Chick-Fil-A on Roxboro Rd. in Durham, NC is the most excellent Chick-Fil-A I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.
Mission – it’s what gets you out of bed in the morning. In recent years, I’ve developed an inability to fall asleep on Sunday night – and I’m a great sleeper. But it’s because my mind is churning about what I get to do the next day as I start a new week at our Center.
I love my sleep, but if I’m going to lose any, I want it to be for that reason. We’re so blessed to work with great leaders and great companies, I just can’t wait for the week to start.
TGIF, for so many people, also means a couple of other things…
1. Thank God it’s Family! The weekend is when many folks get to spend more time with their people.
2. Thank God it’s Finance! With payday falling on Friday for many people, the feelings of reward and appreciation that come with compensation for a job well done are exciting.
I feel kind of like Wayne — I think we should celebrate FRIDAY and every other day. I agree entirely with the thought that TGIF, for most people, is a sentiment of “Hurry up weekend, I can’t stand my job!” For those people, I believe the greatest challenge of life for them is to find PURPOSE, then either find a way to fulfill their purpose in their current work or find new work that helps them fulfill their purpose.
The fact that the vast, vast majority of people don’t do that but instead swim through their lives mostly purpose-less and without realizing that there is a more fulfilling life right around the corner for them, if they’ll look for it, is why TGIF might should be renamed TJIF — This Job is Fruitless.