Do Your Job!

I visited the rest room at the building supply store, a million thoughts on my mind, most revolving around the latest workplace drama I’d left a moment before when I broke for lunch to do an errand. There were four stalls and three standup urinals, and as I stood at one of the latter, I realized I wasn’t alone when I heard a man singing loud and proud from one of the stalls.  

When I’d finished the task I had come in to complete and was washing my hands, I turned to see the man―a custodian wearing the customary blue uniform smock―continuing his auditory gem while performing a practiced dance with his spaghetti mop partner. The tune he belted out was in Spanish, and though I didn’t understand a word, it wasn’t important. What had me smiling as I dried my hands, and kept me grinning when I left him to his duties, was his wonderful attitude. Here was a guy, all five-foot-three of him, performing a task that many of us would not relish, yet he not only did his job, he tackled it with enthusiasm.  

Now, did I think he genuinely loved cleaning out public toilets, mopping floors, and performing all the other maintenance duties required of him? Maybe not, but I feel there was more at play here. This was his job, the one he chose, or perhaps was the one he was able to attain at this stage of his life, but instead of simply going through the motions, he seemed to understand there was no sense complaining or doing things halfway.  

And here is where we get to the title of this week’s blog, and my message to all of you. Do your job!  

Most of us have heard that phrase and similar shouted to us at one time or another, whether from our parents, teachers, or a boss (or three). Most of the time, it’s a means to spur us into action and keep us focused, regardless of how little bedside manner or how much flying spittle accompanies those three words. My three-worded title is more of a plea than a command, but it’s still designed to spur you into action, so please read on. 

Over the course of my long working life, I have witnessed perspective and attitude on both ends of the spectrum. I’ve listened to highly-paid executives complaining about not getting that fifth week of vacation per year, or about how they had to spend so much money on getting their BMW detailed, and “can you believe how much tax I had to pay on my lake house?” Then, I’ve worked with those on the other end of the economic scale, who are lucky to afford an apartment, never mind a house. These folks bust their ass no matter the weather or the task, and they do it while singing and greeting people with a genuine smile and a pleasant attitude. They come to work each day, anxious to make it a great one for others.  

You can see where I’m going with this. Regardless of your chosen and/or necessary duty in this life, do your job the best you can. It could be a career you’ve been in for a while, or a temporary part-time job you’ve taken on to help pay some bills. Maybe you started a job with the intention for it to be temporary, and then turned around and a dozen years have gone by. There will be up and down days at any given job, even if it’s your dream career, right? Now, ask yourself what feels better: hanging your head, grumbling about how much it sucks, and how you wish things could be better, or changing your lens and looking for opportunities to make that day as good as it can be?  

There is a psychology term that says “fake it until you make it.” There is a lot of wisdom in that statement. How many times has the day dragged on and on when you’ve allowed a negative black cloud to shadow you? We’ve all been there. Now, what about those days when you look yourself in the mirror before you head out in the morning and say “today is going to be a great day” and carry that mantra with you through the rest of the day? On those days, when you look at the clock and wonder how it could be quitting time already, doesn’t that feel amazing?  

Look, we all have a job to do, whether it’s a paid gig or volunteering for any number of worthy causes. It all matters in this crazy world! Even if that job is a stepping stone to another you really want to do, you have nothing to gain by not giving it your all and doing the best you can. There is almost always a positive aspect to any job, so keep your chin up and look for that as often as you can. I bet you’ll be amazed at the direction it leads you in and how much your positivity will mean to co-workers and customers. Let’s start a positive chain reaction that spreads far and wide! 

Hey, and if you need a pick-me-up on any given day, think about my dancing rest room crooner, and realize how you can make any day a good one with the right attitude and perspective.  

Thanks for reading this week’s perspective, which goes along so well with my weekly credo, which I shamelessly stole from Abraham Lincoln: Whatever you are, be a good one.  

-Dave