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I hate to agree but in my 32 years of government service, I met quite a few people who did as little work as possible but were able to get by. Generally they were smart in their field of expertise but were lazy. They were knowledgeable of HR regulations and knew how to play the game and had often filed grievances. Sometimes had friends in high places. Often their family was used as an excuse to avoid business travel or projects that required extra time. They may have made less money than their harder working co-workers but not by a lot.
However most of my public sector co-workers did much more than the bare minimum and were good workers, sometimes even exceptional. Another category of person that might meet the criteria of doing the bare minimum are beautiful women. I have met very attractive women that seem to get handed everything.
If you just do just good enough in everything and hardly excel? Can you simply JUST GET BY?
Of course you can. I have been doing it all my life, and my husband and I are looking at a nice retirement (knock on wood). I am not saying that is the right or an admirable way to live, but I am simply answering the question.
(However, we are both very hard workers and responsible, and my husband does excel at his job, and I have received promotions at some of my jobs, also. Actually, I think it comes down to the definition of "excel". To me, to excel means to be the equivalent of an A+ in something and to be very successful at that. Again, that might apply to my husband, but not to me.)
Sure, you can 'get by'...but that means, always having to watch your pennies, driving a used crapbox beater that breaks down a lot, living in a sub-standard craphole apartment, eating lots of bologna and beans or ramen noodles. If that's how you want to live, then that's fine and dandy...but you can't go around griping about how 'life' is so 'unfair' to you.
Again, I think that goes to definition. What does "getting by" mean?
I responded to the OP question above, but when I said that I had been "getting by" all my life, it certainly involved a better life than what you described. I have lived in either fairly nice apartments or in single-family homes in upper-lower to middle-class neighborhoods and always had good food to eat, but it did not mean having luxurious homes, cars or vacations -- and to emphasize, we did just fine and were happy without those things!
What you describe, I would describe as "scraping by" -- and, yes, you can get through life like that, but it is certainly not a life I would enjoy, although I would do that if I were forced to do so.
If you just do just good enough in everything and hardly excel? Can you simply JUST GET BY?
By definition the vast majority of human beings and all other living creatures have been doing exactly that for eons, with incremental changes here and there, a revolution once in a great while, some not for better.
When the opportunity arises, try to help someone in need, and you'll be fine.
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Everyone does this with SOME of their life, but not all of it.
For example, some people "just get by" with cleanliness in their house, but are fantastically fit and eat healthy.
Some people are stellar at their friendships, but kind of slack off at work, while others are excellent at work but don't put much effort into social life.
You can't put 100% effort into everything.
BTW, I've noticed that the people who try the very hardest at work often either burn out and become disillusioned, or break the rules somehow and get fired. For going overboard on empathy for a client, for example, and hiding some facet of an innappropriately (not sexual) close relationship. While the people who just get by are unlikely to burn out and unlikely to care enough about a client/business partner to give them too much rope.
One of the most content individuals I ever met was working in the post office as a janitor. I'd see him in the lobby area sweeping the floor and he always gave a cheerful greeting and had a smile on his face.
I asked him what make him so happy and he said it was doing exactly what he was doing. He loved his job and being able to go home every day unstressed and relaxed.
BTW, I've noticed that the people who try the very hardest at work often either burn out and become disillusioned, or break the rules somehow and get fired. For going overboard on empathy for a client, for example, and hiding some facet of an innappropriately (not sexual) close relationship. While the people who just get by are unlikely to burn out and unlikely to care enough about a client/business partner to give them too much rope.
True, no one does - but there is a big difference between ‘just getting by’ and ‘putting 100% into everything’. Most fall somewhere in between. That said, I have no idea how putting in effort (in life) morphed into ‘empathy for a client/business partner’ and breaking rules to get fired. How do you equate effort (to find ‘success’ in all aspects of life, not just professionally) to likelihood of inappropriate or unethical behavior at one’s work place?
If you just do just good enough in everything and hardly excel? Can you simply JUST GET BY?
I dont understand the question. In the title you say bare minimum: doing bare minimum when in school means you get bad grades. means no college, means no good job, no decent money. get by? well, yeah, if you work 3 jobs, with minimum salary be my guest.
Then you say good enough. Good enough is not bare minimum. so make up your mind, please
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy
True, no one does - but there is a big difference between ‘just getting by’ and ‘putting 100% into everything’. Most fall somewhere in between. That said, I have no idea how putting in effort (in life) morphed into ‘empathy for a client/business partner’ and breaking rules to get fired. How do you equate effort (to find ‘success’ in all aspects of life, not just professionally) to likelihood of inappropriate or unethical behavior at one’s work place?
There are some jobs I have a great passion for, and it's in those jobs where I'm most likely to break the rules.
Forgive an excellent co-worker for a momentary transgression that should be reported when I discovered it; give $$ to a client in a social work setting where I am forbidden to give money.
In those cases, employees who just go through the motions and really don't care at all, are not tempted at all to give money or over look an excellent co-workers transgressions out of desire for the agency to succeed.
People who don't care at all, who just go through the motions until 5:00 quitting time, are not vulnerable to breaking those rules which will get you fired.
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