A Job Well Done

Image Credit: Alexas_Fotos

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When I think about this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I reflect on my performance of what I do and how efficiently I have done it. To take pride in one’s work by doing their very best, paid or unpaid, is a testament to their commitment to excellence. Sometimes we may not get a second chance to make a first impression. We work to make improvements, to do better than we did before. We are, and we represent our work. The words of my mother continue to echo through my mind, “Don’t do a half-ass job when you know you can do better.”

How can you elevate to new heights if you can’t make it off of the ground level? If you aren’t committed to completing the smallest of tasks, then how can you appreciate and perform larger responsibilities?

39 thoughts on “A Job Well Done”

  1. This is such a coincidence. We’re on Brazil and they have many street cleaners in the cities with brooms and dust pans, not mechanical. Usually the people look quite scruffy and don’t seem happy, but today I saw a young woman, with her hair done, make up on, proudly sweeping up all the bits of garbage. She even returned to gets things she missed. I was amazed at how happy she looked and how conscientious she seemed to be.😊 Maggie

    Liked by 2 people

  2. aparna12 says:

    Wow. Sister Girlfriend, you are a real gold. Every day, ‘we learn so much from you. This is a perfect message and the quote by the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘I appreciate and respect your mother for teaching you great things. ♥️♥️♥️🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕. Continue to inspire us with your motivational posts.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Oh my goodness Maggie, you have no idea how much you have tugged at my heart with such a powerful testimony. I am in tears hearing about the commitment that young lady has by doing her job with pride and purpose. Oh how we should take a page from her dedication to do her very best, even under the conditions in which she works. Thanks again Maggie for sharing this heartwarming message with us! Bless you! 🥰💖😊🙏🏽🤗

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Oh Aparna, my motivator and encourager, thank you so much my dear for giving me a lift of energy this morning. I appreciate your warmth and kindness. I am so glad this message resonates with you my sister friend. I was too afraid not to do my best! LOL But it’s paying off I think! 😜 Enjoy the rest of your evening my dear. Stay encouraged. 😊💐🤗

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Girl you betta say it!!!!!! This is me and my husband’s motto. We stand by it and tell the kids that we don’t care what career they choose as long as they are they are giving it their all.
    LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. KK says:

    I truly appreciate you, Kym, for this post, whether it’s quote of Martin Luther King or your mom’s teachings.
    I was posted for quite sometime at Indore, a city that has been declared as the cleanest city of India in a row for the sixth year. You know why, because every citizen feels pride in being a part of that city, and if someone is seen littering the streets, he cautions him or her on the spot.
    The last paragraph is also relatable, because when we look back, we realise that those little things in fact were big things. Thanks again for such an inspiring post 👌👌💖

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Oh my goodness Kaushal, you said a mouthful of powerful messages my friend. Now, Indore should be the poster child globally for the health and well-beibng of our citizens and our planet. I think that is awesome!

    You nailed it when you said, “Every citizen feels pride in being a part ot that city and calls anyone out if they are caught littering.” Now my friend, that is a job well done. Thank you for that testimonial. 🥰🙏🏽😘💖😊

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Thanks a million Cindy. I must occasionally remind myself of this message, especially when I have stretched myself way too thin and I am exhausted beyond measure! 😝😱😜 Hugs ladybug!!! 🐞

    Like

  23. I love that quote so much! 💗It truly is a divine way of living and respecting others. You and I were raised under the same philosophies. Many quotes and lessons associated with that “half-ass” quote! 😁 Thanks, Kymbelina!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Wow! Wow! Wow! Amazing post! Dear Kym thank’s for share and inspiring us like always.
    Love the quote, and your wise words, well done. Have a lovely evening and relaxing tea time!
    Abrazote mi amiga!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Awww, thank you so much Elvira! I appreciate your warm and thoughtful comments my friend. I’m glad the message resonated with you. I will head to the kitchen now and heat my kettle of water. It’s teatime. Abrazote y buenas noches! 🤗💝😍☕😁🌙🤩💐

    Like

  27. You are welcome, dear Kym.
    Always a pleasure! Have a lovely evening and relaxing tea time!
    Cheers with a delicious cup of tea! Abrazote mi amiga! 🙏😍💖🤩🤗🌸🌺🧁🫖☕✨🌛🪄🥂

    Like

  35. Yes!
    And here is an excerpt from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass:

    And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud,

    And I or you pocketless of a dime may purchase the pick of the earth,

    And to glance with an eye or show a bean in its pod confounds the learning of all times,

    And there is no trade or employment but the young man following it may become a hero…

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s