What can you accomplish today?

by. Tom Picciano

“It feels good to accomplish something every day.”

Those are the words of a 93-year-man.  He started hawking papers on a street corner as a pre-teen. Competition was pretty fierce among the newsboys in that city of 80,000.  He never graduated high school, and served in World War II.  He did lots of jobs, including roofer and delivery truck driver. Then he landed a job with a major corporation…which still pays his pension today.  In all, he worked for more than 50-years.

Now, his legs are so tired that it’s hard for him to stand for a long time.  But he always reflects on one thing that he got done each day.  He’d like to do more.  That’s the kind of work ethic that seems to be missing today.  But you know…it still exists.

At a chain sub shop the other night, I got caught in a line.  It seemed like things were going a bit too slow.  But then I realized it was because of a teenage employee with the same dedication to work as that 93-year old man.   The teen eyed a sandwich piled high with meat and veggies, then announced that he wasn’t sure he could fold and cut it right. All the customers encouraged him. He gently pressed the fixings without messing them up.  He folded the flatbread carefully…no spillage.  With a swift cut of the knife, it was ready for wrapping for the customer.

continue reading »