Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Sometimes I can do more than my job. I can exceed and excel. I recommend caution.

I read an editorial recently about newspapers. Perhaps that editorial was agreeable or not as it delved into the politics of the English language (thoughtful and fraught with peril). The topic was journalism, journalists, and journal-ing.

Journalists who engage in journalism journal, i.e., they write the news of the day. The news of the day is sufficient. Sometimes the news of the day is less than more and hence the saying, “the dog days of summer.” So be it—continue to journal.

It seems that many journalists over many years time were not content with journal-ing and wanted to excel and exceed. Hmm. How did that work out? Not too good as newspapers are dead, online newspapers are dead, and folks read my book of faces et al. for the news.

The demise of the journal-ing crowd provides caution to just about everyone: when bored and wanting to excel and exceed, do so with caution. Try to think things through. That is an attempt at predicting the future, something we usually fail, but is worth a try.

If I exceed my job, I will probably lose my job. Perhaps that is what I want. Perhaps my exceeding leads to a new and desired job. Perhaps I want to keep my current job. In the latter case, don’t exceed unless I exceed as a side hobby.

Let’s think this through. We can do better.