The Baseboards in Life

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.  Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.  If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.  ~Dale Carnegie


Yesterday I cleaned the baseboards in our house.  This is one of my least favorite chores to do.  My dislike for cleaning the baseboards is not because it's a really hard chore or that I have to crawl along the floor.  I'm ashamed to say it's because it's a job that no one will notice.  There is not going to be anybody that comes into our home and says, "Cristy, these baseboards are amazing.  I'm so glad you cleaned them."  My attitude is quite ridiculous sometimes.  I want to do an important chore/job that is seen.  I reminded myself yesterday that not everything I do has to be seen to matter.  Sure it's nice to work hard on something and be praised for it, but it shouldn't be the motive of the work.  I do it because it needs to be done.  I'm sure everyone has some type of "baseboard" work they do not care to do.  I think it's important to give the best of ourselves in our jobs.  To make things the best, it requires a lot of small tasks.  There should never be a job beneath us.   I talked to a man once who had been out of a job for a while.  He complained and complained about no jobs.  I said, "McDonald's is always hiring."  He then made several comments basically saying how he was better than that.  Here me say, "A job is a job, and we should not look down upon anyone who is working hard."  This man had chosen the responsibility of having a family, and there should have been no job too small to support his family.  There is a rule that I made for myself a long time ago.  I should never ask anyone to do something I would not be willing to do myself.  It's a personal rule that has kept me in check over the years.   Even though cleaning my baseboards seems like an unimportant job, it isn't.  My husband and my son both struggle with allergies and living in a dusty home would be bad for them.  My job is taking care of them, and it really doesn't matter if they notice or not.  So whatever kind of job you hold, do it right.  Do the small tasks because it's something that needs to be done.  Although one small task may go unnoticed, I promise that a lot of them together over time will not.  A person who constantly gives his or her best, will stand out because that's the kind of person we all want to work with.