Wear the Uniform

We have all heard the expression “Wear the Uniform with Pride”.  This is most closely associated with the military and is the ultimate manifestation of representing something bigger than one person.  Men and women who don the military uniform uphold the highest standards of the American people and take ownership of the incredible responsibility that comes with the uniform.

While I have never had the privilege of representing our country, I do recognize the power of taking pride in your uniform.    The Marine, the pro basketball player, and the firefighter, to name a few, all put on their uniforms and go to work.  The uniform allows these individuals to bond over a common identity and strive for a shared goal driven by pride in the uniform.

But not everyone wears a “uniform” and sometimes it is not easy to take pride in your everyday work at home or in the office.  Mundane tasks can drain our motivation and cause us to produce work that does not meet our highest standards.    Performing these tasks does not inspire us and it becomes one more thing to check off rather than one more challenge to conquer and celebrate.  But as ordinary as these tasks may seem, they are still important and still something we should take pride in completing.  Major accomplishments are sometimes the culmination of a series of smaller tasks.  Unless those seemingly insignificant tasks are done with pride, we may never achieve ultimate success and happiness.

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.

 Maplewood is a youth football organization outside Washington, DC with a simple slogan:  “Pride Still Matters.”  Taking pride in the simple and  “ordinary” tasks such as blocking and tackling can lead to great accomplishments as a team both on and off the field.  The same is true in life!  Take great pride in every small task at the office or in your personal life.  Recognize that those chores matter.  The old cliché “anything worth doing is worth doing right” has never been more true.   The pride and effort you put into each task will matter to someone in your life.  Even if the task does not lead to something bigger, you are still representing your company, representing your family or representing yourself.  That is your uniform.

In this instant gratification culture where heroes are glorified across social media, we are trained to focus on the incredible moments.  But the marine has to learn discipline by making up his or her bed before saving our country from terrorists.  The basketball player has to shoot countless foul shots during practice before sinking the winning free throw on national television.   The firefighter has to change the oil in the fire engine before rushing into a burning building to save a family.  Little things matter in their everyday lives.

In the same way, the salesman has to make numerous cold calls before landing the hallmark client.  The lawyer has to file thousands of mundane motions before winning a landmark case.  The parent has to drive his or her child to endless practices before that child can achieve athletic success.   People are performing smaller acts every day without the glare of the spotlight or the adoration of screaming fans. Performing these tasks with pride makes them heroic.  Treat every task, large and small, as though it could make a difference in the world.  It just might!

Pride still matters!

Until next week, keep smiling.

Rob