Court Durkalkski - Winning at Work: Finding Greater Fulfillment and Purpose on Your Job

Winning at Work is filled with biblical principles that, if lived out, will help readers achieve greater success at work.

Chuck Buck,
CEO, Buck Knives

Winning at Work is a powerful tool for all people wanting to find more purpose and fulfillment on their jobs.

Chuck Bengochea,
CEO, Honey Baked Hams

You will never view your work in the same way after reading Winning at Work.

Matt McPherson,
CEO, Matthews Bows

Winning AT WORK

COURT DURKALSKI

COURT DURKALSKI

Finding Greater Fulfillment & Purpose On Your Job

Winning At Work: Finding Greater Fulfillment & Purpose On Your Job

by Court Durkalski
Published by HigherLife Development Services, Inc.
400 Fontana Circle
Building 1 Suite 105
Oviedo, Florida 32765
(407) 563-4806
www.ahigherlife.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise identified, scripture quotations are from the The Holy Bible: King James Version. Cambridge, 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked amp are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Scripture quotations noted nlt are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996 and 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2011 by Court Durkalski

All rights reserved
ISBN 13: 978-1-935245-45-2
ISBN 10: 1-935245-45-2
Cover Design: r2cdesignRachel Lopez
First Edition
10 11 12 13 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America

Dedicated to my wife, Amythe love and joy of my lifeand to my sons, Trevor and Aaron, who have made me proud to be their father.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY parents, Frank and Joan Durkalski, for teaching me personal responsibility and the merits of having a good work ethic. Thank you for instilling in me the values of respect and discipline. I also want to express appreciation to my wifes parents, Dan and Sally Needham, for entrusting me with their precious daughter, Amy, and for their encouragement through the years. I am grateful to my mentor, Carl Moellering, for showing me what it means to be a leader. In addition, I want to thank the Reverend Stefan Sawczak for teaching me what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I would like to thank Jeff Abbe and Tom Owens (and countless others) who prayed for me. I would also like to thank the employees and leadership team at Truline Industries, Inc.Stuart, Tom, Don, Mike, Alan, Betsy, and othersfor their willingness to believe in me. And, lastly, this book may have never been written had it not been for the encouragement of Hal Donaldson.

IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, it is not uncommon to find Christians who struggle to manage their businesses and do their work in a godly way. Sometimes we as Christians may even wonder if it is possible. I want to tell you that it is. I believe that Gods plan for us is to be the salt and light not only in our daily lives, but also in the business community in which we work. In order to fulfill this plan, we must deliberately choose to run our businesses and serve in the workplace based on biblical truths. While we are in this world, we are not of this world. Once we understand this concept, we can begin to put into the workplace the effective principles found in Gods Word. Winning at Work is a book that gives you a practical, easy-to-follow guide that will help you understand the benefits of ensuring that your work and business are built on a biblical foundation.

Anne Beiler
Founder, Auntie Annes Pretzels

One of the things that we have failed to understand is that God made us holistic. He never allows us to segment our lives like we do. We say, Well, this is my work, this is my church, this is my home, this is my personal life. Whatever we are, we are wherever we are.

Henry Blackaby

IF A HALL OF Fame were created for the planets most prolific workers, my father would be inducted on the first ballot. Even though the placard on his door read President/CEO of Truline Industries, Inc., and he had earned the right to spend his afternoons on the golf course, he chose to lead his employees by example. He often worked twelve-hour days, seven days a week, to build a successful jet parts manufacturing business that would provide well-paying jobs for his employees and a comfortable lifestyle for his family. Whatever the task, he gave 100 percent. He could operate every piece of equipment on the factory floor and occasionally joined the employees on the assembly line. For him, hard work was a privilegenot an obligation.

Unfortunately I didnt inherit his work ethic. For years, I viewed work as the enemysomething to be avoided. If someone had requested my definition of pain, I would have described it as spending 50 or 60 hours a week in an office pushing a pencil, with a phone connected to my ear and a computer screen and keyboard staring me in the face. Work was right up there with root canals and bouts of the flu.

Because my father was my employer, I was often AWOL when the work bell rang. And, during work hours, my eyes were fixed on the clock like a weary boxer pleading for the final round to end. I couldnt wait to unlace my work gloves and step outside the ring. Years ago, no one could have imagined I would author a book on the virtues of work. That would be akin to Donald Trump writing a book entitled The Art of Mediocrity in the Workplace.

But when I began to study the teachings of Jesus, changes began to take place in my life, including my work habits. I discovered what my father already knew: work is not a curse on humanity. In fact, it is a gift from the Creator. He intended for us to enjoy work, to find fulfillment and purpose through our labors. As it says in Psalm 90:17, May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for usyes, establish the work of our hands.

Work, however, causes many people tremendous anxiety and turmoil. Work-related issues have been known to cause health problems, family breakups, emotional disorders and more. If not approached properly, work-related issues can paralyze us and lead to unnecessary stress and depression.

Studies indicate that job satisfaction has declined across all income brackets for nine consecutive years. Night after night, after a long day at work, many people collapse onto the couch in their living rooms and say, I hate my jobjust once Id like to tell my boss to take this job and shove it. I give 100 percent and get no appreciation. But, the foundational message of this book is that work can be an enriching and joyful experience.

Often at the root of discouragement and frustration on the job is a poor understanding of the important part the Creator intended work to play in our lives. And, in difficult economic times, when competition for jobs is highest and unemployment rates are climbing, workers need to have proper perspective. Their success and longevity in the workplace depend on it.