Self-Efficacy for Good Works

I can do all things through Christ!

(Philippians 4:13)

Yesterday, I was in a business development class and the facilitator told all of the participants to walk over to the window and in one little word, describe what we saw. Collectively, we blurted about a lot of tangible things in our view. After a couple of minutes, she reminded us of why we had assembled for the day, and prophetically, one of my class mates yelled out: OPPORTUNITY! When he said that, I was suddenly transformed back to that little girl who used to sing: I’m looking for a miracle / I expect the impossible / I feel the intangible / I see the invisible / Just believe and receive it / God will perform it today***. What happened to her?

I can tell you what happened to her. She started to believe that all of the miraculous things that happened in her life were because of her own self-effort. Self-efficacy is defined as the belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals. People with high self-efficacy tend to take on challenges that may appear difficult to others and determine the best plan of action, or process, to perform the work. Her motivation and drive came from learning to persevere and making it look easy to do the impossible. Success increases self-efficacy, so her response to questions about how she’s able to reach her goals: I can do all things!

Yes, I can do all things…but the most important words of that verse is through Christ. I actually believed that I could develop a new business model, unlike anything commercially successful in industrial manufacturing today, on my own self-effort. So I stepped out on faith, pressing toward what I believed was my purposed work, and for the first time in a long time, not reaching the goals in the desired timeframe. I was operating at a lower self-efficacy, yet seeking encouragement to continue the work. Just believe and receive it / God will perform it today. My new phrase: Through Christ-in-me-self-efficacy: Grace and strength to endure His purposed work and reach the goal comes only from the Holy Spirit, through increased faith that comes from a continuous prayer life. So on days when I am feeling fearful or doubtful about the progress or the process, I know the source of the helping hand that allows me to be strong and courageous to do the work. No good thing will He withhold from those who are called by purpose.

The end of self-effort is the beginning of grace. God cannot work where you have your hands. Through Christ-in-me-self-efficacy, I have the confidence to believe and receive the good works He has purposed in my life. What intangible or invisible miracle do you believe to receive? Remember: OPPORTUNITY. The sky is the limit! Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

***: I'm Looking for a Miracle lyrics by the Clark Sisters

Perceptions of Good Works

…whatever you do, do it from the heart,

with good will…

(Colossians 3:23 )

Today is the day we celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers! Notice the use of the word workers in the definition, because today is really about the good people who get the job done. So today, I dedicate this blog post to the millions of hardworking men and women who show up every day and give 100% for the cause. Happy Labor Day!

I ran into a college friend and former colleague from Cargill in the airport last week. We shared a few stories about our struggles and successes in getting to where we are in our lives and our careers. He said something that struck me: we may be raising a generation of children who may not be prepared to do better financially than the parents. When we went to college, leaving our small Arkansas hometowns, in many cases, the move was a step up for us. Many of our first apartments were better than the houses in which we grew up. Fast forward twenty-five years, and our kids may not have the same drive and motivation that we had. What happened in one generation?

During the flight, we talked about our similar backgrounds. We had real jobs in high school: he worked on his family’s farm while I worked as a hamburger hostess (fancy title for cashier at Mr. B’s). These were not perceived as good jobs by our teenage peers, but we showed up every day, learned some life skills, and began to develop a real good work ethic. In college, we HAD to work, period. We took various routes and jobs--many in our shared social circle have stories about working at either the Mexican Original or Campbell Soup plants in Fayetteville. These were not perceived as good jobs by some of our “educated” friends, but real bills require real hours and teach real humility and perseverance. We began our careers at Cargill after both graduating with degrees. These were not perceived as good jobs by some of our engineering comrades, but the starting salary was really great for the opportunities and experiences presented. We left Cargill in the mid-90s, taking different paths in our pursuit of careers in production. We have achieved executive level status and success, yet still encounter the perception that manufacturing is not perceived as good works. Manufacturing is not for everyone, but when you can look around and can see the fruits of your hard work and labor in the products, you feel the passion in your purposed work.

 

As parents, we have to instill in our children that you don’t just wake up one day and achieve success. George Takei gets credit for this illustration of success:

We have to demonstrate by our example that purposed work requires some key personal characteristics: drive, motivation, work ethic, humility, perseverance, dedication, commitment, and passion.  

We have to exemplify by our actions to the next generation of workers that social and economic achievement begins early, begins from the heart, and begins with a desire to do good works, and not what is perceived to please man. What are you doing to prepare your children to do better in life socially and economically? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Don’t Quit on the Road to Good Works

I just can’t give up now.
I have come too far from where I started from.

Nobody told me the road would be easy.

I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.

(Mary  Mary)

On Friday, my family traveled to Northwest Arkansas to attend the induction ceremony into the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering (AAIE). The plan was for us to arrive early so that we had time to tour the campus, particularly Bell Engineering Center, and to locate my name on Senior Walk. By 5:30 am, the plans changed: Our local flight was cancelled without notification; the only flights available with three seats required us to drive to Houston, connect through Dallas, fly into Tulsa, and drive back to Springdale. At one point, I looked at James, ready to give up, when a still small voice said don’t quit. So we made the journey and arrived as the banquet began. Throughout the ceremony, I realized that this journey leading me back to the University of Arkansas began years ago.

 

The thing is, I never planned to attend any in-state college. If I had my way, I would have gone to Duke. I first started getting info from Duke in junior high school, based on standardized test scores. Later, in high school, after expressing an interest in engineering, I began to get correspondence from the School of Engineering. At that time, I had not considered the cost of going to Duke...I simply wanted to go to Duke because the school expressed interest in me.

Senior year rolled around and the reality of paying for college set in. I grew up in Stuttgart, a low-to-moderate income community, and I was first generation college. Thankfully, I had a dedicated guidance counselor who worked tirelessly to assist those of us who needed help finding scholarships (a big shout-out to Mrs. Ferguson). I had no idea how I could afford college, so I only applied to in-state schools... thinking I could not afford out-of-state tuition and unaware of any other options. On graduation day, I learned that I had been selected for the Ruth Reiger Scholarship, renewable for four years at an in-state institution. I started classes at the UA in June 1988 and completed my coursework by December 1992.

We make our plans, but God orders our steps. The road to good works has not been easy. There were a lot of nights when the load of you-name-it seemed too much to bear and I wanted to give up, but that still small voice would speak to me and say don’t quit. I am so thankful for the blessings and the lessons learned along the journey. When the banquet was over, I had the pleasure of meeting two very prosperous members of AAIE, who informed me that I was only the fourth person born in Stuttgart to become a member of the academy. (That makes me the first woman from Stuttgart to be inducted and motivates me to become an ambassador for more women to pursue Industrial Engineering.) To learn more about what’s happening at the University of Arkansas, visit http://www.ineg.uark.edu/

So, as I get ready for another workweek, I close this post with a verse of inspiration:

 

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

To read the poem in it’s entirety, visit http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/thePoem.htm