always act your wage
that's what quiet quitters do too!
no more, no less
Advocates for quiet quitting tell us that we should do exactly what we are paid to do. No more and no less. Don’t take any extra responsibilities on and don’t work any extra hours. Don’t overdeliver by any means unless there is a guarantee of a promotion or pay increase from your boss.
They say it’s a myth that the “hardest worker in the room” is the one who gets paid. They believe that the rewards for hard work are just more work.
the effectiveness question
My mentor, my dad has taught me to ask this question when considering someone’s advice:
“How is that working out for them?”
Is your financial advisor winning financially?
Is your personal trainer in shape?
Does the person giving you marriage advice have long-term fruit in their marriage?
Do you want to have what this person has in the area they are advising you in?
In my estimation, the people giving advice to “quiet quit” are not CEOs, they are not successful, they are 20-somethings who are unproven in their life and careers.
The popularity of an idea does not validate it. I heard Warren Buffet say recently that “you’re not right because 100 people agree with you.”
act your wage
The most interesting thing about this movement is the idea that a person should behave according to how much they get paid. They use that as if it will be a working strategy.
Here’s a universal principle: you are perfectly set up right now to get the results you are currently getting.
Do you like where you are at in any area of life? Great! Keep doing what you are doing in that area.
Do you not like where you are at in any area of your life? Great! Change your inputs and you will change the outputs.
The idea of “acting your wage” is true. If you don’t want to make any more money at your job and stop advancing in your career, that’s the way to do it. However, many of the quiet quitters also seem to be discontent with how they are being paid. It is because their own mentalities are working against them. How?
Think about acting your age.
When someone acts below their age, they are immature and have a hard life.
When someone acts their age, they’re doing fine in life. Probably not good, or bad, just fine.
When someone is “wise beyond their years” they seem to be doing really well for themselves.
Think about this in the context of salary.
When someone acts below their wage, they get fired.
When someone acts their wage, they keep their job. But probably don’t get promoted or paid more.
When someone acts above their wage, they are ALWAYS rewarded.
always rewarded?
Josh, how can that be possible? Aren’t there places that take advantage of their workers? Don’t people often get underpaid based on their contributions?
That’s certainly true, but we shouldn’t see ourselves as working for people. Because we don’t.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” // Colossians 3:23-24
I choose to have a Biblical perspective on work. So I give every day my best. Why? Because it is one of my offerings to God. The people I work with and for might not reward me, but God always will. I shouldn’t care about cultural narratives on work, or whether or not a person is doing enough for me. I should focus on what God say and watch what he makes happen in my life.
A lot of these people are also advocating that we should raise minimum wage to an exorbitant number. There’s a reason why the “minimum” wage is called the minimum. Because it’s the starting point. You’re not supposed to be at the minimum for that long.
For a quiet quitter, the minimum becomes the maximum. They need the minimum to be more, because they’re only willing to do the minimum.
For many people, it’s about doing the minimum effort for the maximum reward. They think that’s a good idea. What they don’t realize is that they are limiting themselves. What’s the maximum wage you can make? $1 million? $10 million? $100 million? $1 billion?
What is God’s maximum wage? It’s not thousands, millions or billions. It is unlimited based on what I choose to do with my time, talent and treasure.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” // Luke 6:38
God gives us all time, talent and treasure, and we get to decide what we do with it. What does it look like to give your time to your work? To give your talent? Even your treasure?
Knowing this, If you acted like you were working for God, would you quiet quit?
I don’t think so. But people still will, and those of us who understand how God works will get to experience all the things that they’re missing out on.
Do you want the limited minimum? Or God’s unlimited maximum?