"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." -Stephen CoveyI guess we all have days where we feel like The Low Man on the Totem Pole! But, regardless of how we feel, it turns out the origin of the phrase might be a case of mistaken identity.
We use the saying to infer that we are the least important person in the ...fill in the appropriate term.
But, while the term "low" might be derogatory in some settings, it isn't so with totem poles. The Native American groups who carve faces into tall poles of wood would claim there is no significance to the order the figures are carved.
If anything, the lower part of the pole might be considered a more prominent place since this is the part that is seen close up after the pole is erected.
In fact, a master carver will often assign his apprentices the job of carving the higher figures, so the master carver can concentrate on the lower ten feet of the pole.
So, it looks like the low man spot might actually be the most important after all! People just might not realize it! Kind of the same way we might not realize it when our priorities are out of whack!
