What Gets Us Off Track?

Quite some time ago, if an employee worked hard on her assignments and projects, she would earn more promotions and greater salary. Most of this effort was accomplished without the help of other co-workers. Her success depended solely on her own efforts. Companies knew no other way to operate. Much has changed in the 21^st Century.      

Today, that kind of anti-community environment is nearly unheard of as demonstrated by the top three companies to work for in America:

#1 spot is Google, which has set the gold standard for teamwork, and encouraging innovation and fun on the job. They like to see employees coaching each other and creating a “community” environment. This obviously works to the employees’ advantage, as the average annual salary for an entry-level software developer is $100,000 (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

#2 is Bristol-Myers Squibb, the biopharmaceutical giant that has a “desirable culture of gender diversity with 54% female and 46% male.” Average starting salary for a research scientist is $75,000 (according to Glassdoor recruiting site).

#3 place is the top-of-the-line, cyber-security software company, Symantec, providing an average salary for a software engineer of $94,000 (Glassdoor).

Survivor Reality

No, we are not trying to recruit anyone here. We are just providing examples and demonstrating that in today’s world, it’s definitely harder to survive on our own. If we are not pro-community minded and willing to be part of a team, we might experience less success on our own.

Yes! We found our community!

It is true that more people than ever are currently seeking to open their own businesses and become their own bosses. But even in those situations, a team of people will get the company to its goal better and faster. Even sole owners regularly consult with others on how to perform certain tasks. No matter what we choose as a career, it just isn’t possible to survive alone.

The same is especially true when we are single-again women. Strong women, yes. Innovative, tenacious, and determined, certainly. However, in our own individual lives, we know we need help with many daily chores, how to do certain things, where to go to find answers, and who can teach us to handle our bank account, grocery list, or our next job promotion. We need our own community!

Doing life alone, without a dependable circle of friends, makes it easy to start comparing ourselves to others. There is no good in that as we simply end up experiencing various forms of fear and negativity and don’t even know why. We are cut off from the abundant life God wants for us. Google has the right idea. It encourages its employees “to become teachers and coach one another to help build a more creative, satisfied, and intimate community.”

Staying on Track

If we have no friendship with God (spending time with him and seeking his answers) and with other women in this season of life, we have no fellowship at all. We are left on our own. Once we see the advantages of growing our own community, we see how God is the One who has provided our lives with peace, joy, and contentment. And that is the perfect place to begin!

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep” Romans 12:15 NLT.