Most of us have “hit the wall” or had some other form of rude awakening, discovering our self caught in a life not of our choosing. Recently, in a call with Brad Masek, Maintenance Support Manager at Luminant’s Sandow Power Plant, he shared a powerful personal story of a life-changing event. I found his story so powerful and inspiring that I invited Brad to put it in writing for us to use as a teaching story. No matter where you are on the journey toward self-actualization, I believe you will find Brad’s story inspiring and well worth the read!
As a young 27-year-old engineer with only three years of experience, I was given significant responsibilities related to improvement projects at our facility. I actively worked in five major areas: plant capital improvement projects, new plant construction coordination, a very large environmental upgrade project, plant operations/maintenance support, and coordination with a company providing demolition services to the old plants. These duties required a significant amount of time dedicated to accomplishing them on a consistent basis. The environmental upgrade project required me to travel to South Carolina for two weeks each month for two years during the design phase. These duties would normally be expected of a team of three to five engineers.
My life was more complicated than many in that my wife was in law school at this time. Our marriage was certainly not normal, as we did not live together during the week while she was in school, I also operated as a single dad during the week for our daughter, providing all the home duties that were needed.
To read Brad’s full article, click here.
"Ann McGee-Cooper teaches us that 'work' and 'drudgery' are not synonymous. She shows how a job can be a source of fellowship, zest, pride, fun, and individual expression. If we follow her precepts, we will return home refreshed, not jaded, and inspired rather than debilitated, at the end of our 'fun day,' not our 'work day.' We will also collectively be a more productive, competitive, and healthy society. I believe in what she says."