Surprise them all – show pride in your work

It’s that familiar note of cynicism, as we discuss crime, corruption, and lawlessness.

While not for one instant demeaning the seriousness of these maladies – they trouble me too - may I invite you to glance in another direction for a moment…?

Frame of mind

Sometimes sanity depends not on your scenario, but on the ‘space’ you take with you; your frame of mind, if you like. Pollute that space with disappointment and mistrust, and we will find we merely echo our environment. We become bogged down by it.

Personally, I’d rather be like Joseph. The Old Testament account of Joseph’s life tells of a person sold into slavery, who nevertheless showed such excellence as to rise through the ranks in a foreign land, in the house of a man who had bought him as a slave. Joseph took his sense of goodness, his grasp of accountability and his excellence along with him, even into adversity.

Drawing on those lessons, this is my personal theme for the year 2007:

‘CARE AND CRAFT in all things’

May I invite you to join me?

In a nation awash with the cynical, would you care to stand out? When an environment is so intensely saturated with the downward-looking, who will work only half-heartedly and bitch for lack of reward, it is not hard to stand out. It begins with a Joseph-style attitude, one that chooses to work as though the work itself truly matters.

Show pride

In all we do this year, let’s do it like it matters. Let’s do the work as though it represents who we are. Let’s show pride in our craft, be it what it may.

The years pass, but the lessons continue to hold their value. Today one of the world’s most successful businesswomen, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, continues to insist that this simple principle is her formula for success. “Throughout my career, I have always taken my work very seriously, and done the absolute best I could do.” She put great care into her craft. That spirit took her places.

Though less grand, my story reflects the same principle. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to represent my continent at the World Championships for Public Speaking in the US. An aspiring speaker asked me on my return how I had advanced to that level - what was the ‘trick’?

Of course, there was no trick.

Take it more seriously

The answer is to take it more seriously than the other competitors. Put more care and craft into your preparation. Work harder than anybody else. The same holds true in all fields.

In a nation in such a mood, do you have the personal fortitude, the strength, to carry along with you a spirit of goodness, excellence and pride in yourself? Are you sufficiently committed to take the time and trouble required to inject care into your craft? Does your work represent the very best of you? Does it matter to you?

In 2007, I invite you to join me, and do what you do as if it matters greatly.