A Job Worth Doing

Today, my dad would have been 74. He died twenty-two years ago, when I had just finished my first year of law school.

As I get further along in years, I see more and more I can learn from the example that my dad set. He worked hard, but he also was there at home. He was my baseball coach. I would pitch to him every night, from April through August. And he did a lot around the house. The thought of someone else mowing the lawn, fixing a toilet, or even painting, would never occur to him.

He always said "If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right." He had an attention to detail, and a patience, that was amazing. I still have not seen a paint job that was neater than what my father was able to do, because he took the time to do it right.
Of course, the words cut both ways. Because maybe a job isn't worth doing. Maybe there are only a few things in our lives that are worth doing really, really well.

The challenge, of course, is to discover the ways in which we can be truly excellent. And then devoting our entire being to that excellence. Sometimes that excellence is best expressed at work. And sometimes it is a simple game of catch with your son.

Happy Birthday, Dad
Jeff