Life Quote
of the Day:
“Do your best every time because by doing a
thing well you build something valuable into yourself.” Henry Ford
~~~
By, Cassandra George Sturges
“It will be my pleasure Madame. I shall get
it for you right away,” the waiter said in his thick French accent, after I
requested a glass of orange juice. This was not the highlight of our trip to
Montreal it was the cultural standard that my boyfriend and I encountered everywhere
we visited.
In American culture,( generally speaking)
there seems to be a shame attached to doing your best on a remedial job that
society doesn’t respect. During conversations with maintenance staff, cashiers,
and waiters around town, (many but not all) tell me about their other business
ventures, how many credits they need before finishing college, or that they are
on the waiting list for a better job.
They do not want me to think that this is
their permanent or real job—but a pit stop on their path to more prestigious
opportunities. The negative stigma that many Americans attach to people who
work remedial and minimum wage jobs is reflected back to the consumers via the lackluster
services provided by the employees.
One waitress told my boyfriend and I that
she was literally 2 seconds from walking off the job. We were afraid to tell
her that our order was incorrect. In fear of pissing her off even more, my
boyfriend picked the mushrooms out of his omelet when she wasn’t looking.
In essence, since we don’t value a person
working a fast food job, why should the fast food employee care if our fries
are burnt or cold, or whether our order is correct. We don’t care about them,
therefore they do not care about us. From a societal perspective, I understand
this macro- societal, collective psychological energy exchange. However, from a
spiritual perspective, I think each person’s job performance is a personal
reflection of how they feel about themselves—not other people.
My daddy always told my brothers and I that
no matter what we do in life to always do our best. It doesn’t matter if you
are a street sweeper or garbage man; what matters most is doing the best job
possible. If I had to tally up my whippings as a child, I would say that 85% of
the time I got in trouble for not washing dishes properly, folding the sheets incorrectly,
or missing a spot cleaning the bathroom. The other 15% was for skipping school.
When I was in the third grade, I brought a
test home with an A- grade. I proudly showed it to my mother and she asked me
why I missed one of the questions out of twenty. I had the highest score in my
class, but it wasn’t good enough for my mother. I still remember crying my
little self to sleep, whispering, “But I did my best Momma.”
I think at some point, I realized that
doing my best in schoolwork was not going to be good enough for my parents, so
I chose to do nothing. I started skipping school and church when I was about
8-years-old.
When I reflect back on my life, I realize
that I have always had an attitude of all or nothing. When I was bad, I was
really bad. I didn’t go to school to earn C’s. I failed semesters and years. I
have report cards with all As and all Fs. I have a G.E.D and a doctorate
degree. I was so afraid of disappointing my parents with mediocrity, that at a subconscious
level I made them extremely happy and extremely sad. I gave them my best.
I didn’t want my children ever feel like
their best wasn’t good enough for me.
So, here is what I tell my children about
doing their best:
Life
Quotes Practical Application
1.
I have always told my children to their best
because only from doing their absolute best would they be cable of discovering
their gifts and talents. You don’t even know who you are or what you like, if
you haven’t given something your all.
2.
Secondly, when you do your best on any task, you
are learning a skillset that can be applied to another endeavor—even if it’s
something as simple as learning how to be more patient. Everything you do in
life is practice for something better, even if the lesson is not obvious.
3. Thirdly, I told my children that there is more
honor in working hard and earning a D- grade than cheating on a test or
assignment and receiving an A letter grade. The only person in this world who
is capable of ever knowing whether you have done your best on a task is – you and
you alone. Always be honest with yourself. Could you have stopped watching
videos and studied harder? Only you know the answer to that question.
~~~
Quotes Translator, Weekly Column by, Cassandra George
Sturges discusses Inspirational quotes, motivational quotes, famous quotes,
quote of the day, positive quotes, life quotes, Quotes about life, life
lessons, and relationship quotes and their applications to your life.
~~~
Here are links to other Life Quote of the
Day Columns:
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