Dr. Erich Longie
Habits like studying or attending work regularly are built daily. It’s like this – if you walk across the prairie from your house to a particular spot once, no one will ever notice. If you do it once every six months, they’ll be no noticeable difference if you do it once a month, no one will notice.
But if you walk across that field every day, after a while you’ll start to wear a path there. Over time, that path will get deeper and wider. It’s the same with work habits. Once you get into the habit of working every day or studying every day, it gets easier and easier.
Another part of good work habits is avoiding excuses. In every place from government agencies to universities to computer companies when I am trying to get my computer fixed, I see people who spend all day searching for an excuse not to work. Since most of my work experience has been in various tribal organizations, those are the basis for most of my observation of the many people who will stop work when they come to an obstacle. Here are some of the most common ones:
No one trained me how to do that. (Notice that it is not my fault for not knowing it. it is "No one" 's fault for not having trained me.)
I didn't know how to fill out the forms.
You said to make a certificate on PowerPoint and I don't know how to use PowerPoint. (Notice it was your fault for telling me to do something I didn't know how to do.)
I didn't know where to find the instructions for the forms. I asked Frank and he didn't know. (Apparently, Frank is the holder of all knowledge and if he doesn't know, one may as well give up.)
I didn't have what I needed to do the job.
We were out of (paper, cups,sheets --- this excuse can be used for almost anything).
Our computer programs are too out of date. We need new software.
The person I needed to help me wasn't available
I wasn't sure if we could (give a refund, approve an invoice) and my supervisor wasn't around to ask.
Jeanine usually does that job and she wasn't in today.
Click here for practical advice on how to meet each obstacle. It is easier than you think.