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I will never forget him.  He was a senior executive at Dell Computers.  A former Longhorn, he had come to speak to our group of wide-eyed college seniors at the University of Texas at Austin, about our future careers, of course.

A tentative voice at the back of the room posed a question.  “I…, I know internships are very important, and I’m an intern now.   But I don’t think I’m learning anything because they just have me doing little things, like faxing, copying, filing and other menial tasks.”

I will never forget what this professional said in response as his gaze fixed on the intern.  “If you remember nothing else from my speech tonight, remember this, “Nothing is beneath you.”

My ears perked.  Fellow schoolmates leaned forward.  What did he mean?

The Dell executive continued,  “When I was a fresh graduate, I didn’t start out holding the vice president title that I have today.  My first position, and I still remember my route like yesterday, was as a mail room staffer for our company headquarters.  I sorted huge volumes of mail and carted them all over Dell’s offices and delivered mail to each and everyone – with seriousness, and a smile.”

My mind briefly entertained an image of him walking down a long and narrow corporate hallway, pushing a mountain cart of mail…

“You might think my job was menial, but I took every opportunity to remember faces and names, to show them my attention to detail, to show up day after day and be the most conscientious mail room staffer I can be.  And guess what?  I still spent the next two years in the mail room!”

A few of us chuckled nervously.

“But if you ask me today, is it all worth it?  I say to you a firm “yes.”  My career took off at the two-year mark and I am where I am today because I adopted an attitude early on that served me well.  Because I told myself, “nothing is beneath me.”

The speaker’s advice touched me profoundly and I took it to heart as I sailed through internships and on to real jobs over the years.  I have also had the privilege to share his story a few times during one-to-one mentoring sessions, or when speaking to college students at various schools.  Book author Michael Gerber also underscores a similar philosophy below:

The work we do is a reflection of who we are.  If we’re sloppy at it, it’s because we’re sloppy inside.  If we’re late at it, it’s because we’re late inside.  If we’re bored by it, it’s because we’re bored inside, with ourselves, not with the work.  The most menial work can be a piece of art when done by an artist.  So the job here is not outside of ourselves, but inside of ourselves.  How we do our work becomes a mirror of who we are inside.” ~ Michael Gerber, e-Myth Revisited.

Well said, Mr. Gerber, and thank you, Mr. Dell executive!  Your writing and sharing reinforced my belief that there is dignity in every job – from being a janitor,  to being a receptionist to being the president of this country.  Readers, have you had similar experiences as the intern or the Dell speaker?  How have you handled yourself in the face of “menial” assignments?  Would love to hear your thoughts, insights, takeaways, success or even horror stories!

Image by Pit Van Meeffe via Flickr

Have you ever sat alone at a cafe, stared out the window and pondered this question:

“What do I wish my life to look like?”

One day, I did sit at a cafe.  I saw the cars and people passing by, and did ask this very question.  I wanted to be an entrepreneur.  I wanted to build a company filled with happy people and clients.  I wanted to do good work that has impact and makes a difference in the lives of others.

First, it started as a flicker of an idea.  Then it took form and I “fearfully” took the plunge and finally hung up my shingle.  And as I worked on the business everyday, my vision for the future and this business became more refined.  A particularly edifying moment came from reading a profoundly simple, yet powerful book called E-Myth Revisited.

There is a passage within the book that underscores the importance of having a clear vision for our lives:

Great people have a vision of their lives that they practice emulating every day.  They go to work on their lives, not just in their lives.  Their lives are spent living out the vision that they have for their future, in the present.  They compare what they have done with what they intended to do.  And where there is a disparity between the two, they don’t wait very long to make up for the difference.” ~ Michael Gerber, E-Myth Revisited.

Do you have a vision for your life?  It could just be a flicker now.  Or perhaps you are one of the great people that E-Myth Revisited alluded to, and your vision is already in full bloom?  Either way, drop a note and share with others who will benefit from your thoughts and experiences.

Here’s to your future filled with bright visions!

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Are you an entrepreneur?  A leader?  A manager?  Or aspire to be one?  Then you must have often wondered how you can best manage and motivate those who work for you, and with you, to great results.

One of the most influential authors I have read on the subject of leadership is John Maxwell.  His teachings, stories and rules of leadership have inspired me and countless others.  In his book, Developing the Leaders Around You, Maxwell offers an easy-to-understand observation and lesson on leadership – leaders dream.  And great leaders share their dreams with others who can help turn dreams into realities.  Below is his simple four-step plan:

1. Dare to Dream: Have a vision that improve lives and change paradigms.  Have a desire to do something bigger than yourself
2. Prepare the Dream: Do your homework.  Be ready when the opportunity comes.
3. Wear the Dream: Do it!
4. Share the Dream: Make others a part of the dream, and it’ll become greater than you hope.

What is your dream?  Prepare it, do it and share it!  Wishing you much leadership success!

There are untold sufferers and suffering among us.  Just three days ago, our nation remembered and mourned those who lost their lives during the September 11 attacks.   All of us, at some time or other, would come face-to-face with pain, illness and death (ours or our loved ones).

Sometimes, in our despair, we may ask, “What is the point of all of this?  What is the point of living?”

While we probably ask these questions at the lowest points of our lives, I believe that they could sow the seeds for the start of a more purposeful and meaningful life.

A strong influence who shaped my thinking was Victor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor.   I first learned of Frankl several years back, when I chanced upon his book, Man’s Search for Meaning.  In it, he recalled his years at the concentration camp, where he witnessed many Jews dying in gas chambers, from starvation, forced labor and executions.   Frankl was surrounded by death and despair.  Even his parents and wife were killed.

However, he managed to find meaning in the midst of dark tragedy.  Because of his training, he was assigned to help newcomers overcome shock and grief in the camps.  He later set up a suicide watch unit to support his fellow prisoners.  To lift his own spirits, he willed himself to imagine his release, to imagine that he would one day be giving lectures about having survived the concentration camp, to hundreds and hundreds of people.  He imagined it so well that he actually practiced his lectures to blank walls even when he was imprisoned.

In his book, Frankl wrote that no matter how difficult one’s physical realities are, one can find a way to access their mental life and find refuge, hope and meaning in the spiritual domain.  It was from this belief that he developed Logotherapy, the school of therapy that believes that finding meaning in one’s life  is the most powerful driving force for living.

Are you in a difficult situation currently?  Are you surrounded by impossible physical realities?  Do not despair.  There is a redeeming space within you – your mind, your rich imagination, your spirit – that is always available to you.  It is awaiting you to access, to visualize, to fill with uplifting thoughts, hopes, visions, beauty and peace.  Try it, embrace it.  This, is your new meaning of life.

Cover of The Prophet

One of the most illuminating, succinct yet all-encompassing books I have read is a book called The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer and philosopher.  In 26 short poetic essays, he discusses the human condition and various life issues with quiet eloquence and wisdom.  When I first read these poems, I was struck by the wisdom and insights contained in these simple words.  I have included 10 excerpts from some of these poetic essays to provide you a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant writer, and offer a little shot of inspiration to your day.   Enjoy!

On Love…

When love beckons to you follow him, though his ways are hard and steep.  And when his wings enfold you yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

On Work…

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth. For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life’s procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

On Joy & Sorrow…

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self same well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be?

On Reason & Passion…

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction. Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing; And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

On Beauty…

And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.  It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.

On Friendship…

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live. For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.  And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

On Giving…

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

On Pleasure…

Pleasure is a freedom song, but it is not freedom.  It is the blossoming of your desires, but it is not their fruit.  It is a depth calling unto a height, but it is not the deep nor the high.  It is the caged taking wing, but it is not space encompassed.  Ay, in very truth, pleasure is a freedom-song.

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On Self Knowledge

Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.”  Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.” Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.” For the soul walks upon all paths.

On Death…

You would know the secret of death.  But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

If you enjoyed these excerpts, you might enjoy the book.   It is relatively thin and is available at Amazon.  Fuller  poems are also available through this website I chanced upon online.

Here’s to your life, and to love, beauty, knowledge, joys, sorrows, reason, passion and all!