Calling it even
"Come Friday, we're even," the editor said.
This man had worked for years at the newspaper, and though the hours were long and the pay wasn’t great, he said he picked up his paycheck each Friday and considered his account even.
Square. Paid in Full.
No matter how difficult the task may have been each week, in his mind, the check he received at the end of the week covered the debt. Each week, he marked the account paid in full and moved on.
Do you?
Or, do you, like me at times, look at your compensation for a job well done and complain that it isn't enough, complain that you aren't appreciated more, complain that the task was more than expected, complain that the glory doesn't equal the effort, complain that others got more for less?
To make matters worse, each week we keep carrying that balance forward, adding a little more to the "what's owed us" column.
Peace of mind can only come when we change what we think.
When we get to the end of the week and mark it even.
When we get to the end of the day and balance the books with our friends and family.
When we realize that give and take sometimes means giving more and taking less.
Now, you know this isn’t just about money; it’s about perspective.
When we look at life through a transactional lens (what can you do for me) instead of a transformational lens (what can I do for you), we’re always left wanting more.
What a football coach taught me about transformational versus transactional living
The LA Rams beat my Chicago Bears last night in the next round of the playoffs. I like the Bears, but I also like Rams head coach Sean McVay, especially after I heard him say this about a challenging time in his career:
“I don’t know how close I was to walking away; I just know I wasn’t right. We talk a lot about being transformational all the time, but I was really far from that. It [Football] became transactional.”
Those words cut deep as I recalled difficult seasons of my Extension career — days I let the transactional aspect of working overtake the transformational aspect of doing Extension work.
I was keeping score, and, in my mind, I was losing.
It was the power of relationships that pulled me back from the edge — colleagues, clients, family, partners — who reminded me that fulfillment is found in inspiring others, helping others, celebrating others.
Transformational living begins and ends with others.
“There are two types of people — those who come into a room and say, ‘Well, here I am,’ and those who come into a room and say, ‘Ah, there you are.’” — Frederick Collins
Every day, we have the opportunity to say, "Ah, there you are” to someone who needs a little bit of inspiration, a little bit of knowledge, a little bit of respect. That doesn’t mean we don’t advocate for ourselves professionally; it does mean that we remember that some rewards can’t be paid in money or title or accolades but in knowing we made a difference that day to someone.
Dig Deeper
The interview with McVay was broadcast December 14, 2025 on Fox. Watch it on Instagram.
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