The Job

6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5fb6f02970b-450wiThe tile floor was now wet and clean. I was a night custodian at Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia — and  a recent honors graduate from the University of Tennessee.  As I put my mop back in the yellow plastic mop bucket, a man walked right down the middle of my freshly mopped floor.  I wasn’t particularly happy about his rudeness and politely asked him not to do it again. What happened next taught me a valuable lesson that I’ll never forget. He looked at me and said, “You’re just a janitor. You can mop it again.”

His voice still rattles in my head. “You’re just a janitor.”

What a jerk.

Let me say this right now — there is nothing wrong with being a janitor. I worked with noble people — in fact, one of them is my mother-in-law (she has an amazing story of her own).  But his words stung. He made  “janitor”  into a slur.  His words cut my ego to the core.

Because I wasn’t “just a janitor.” I was more than that. I was working my butt off at night to make ends meet. I was a talented artist with a bright future. But at that moment it took a jerk to teach me something that has driven me ever since:  My job doesn’t define me. I define my job.

Eventually I did achieve my dream job. In 1996, I was hired as the editorial cartoonist for The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger. I’ve been syndicated nationally for years and have been named a Pultizer Finalist twice. I’ve had success as an author and a radio host. My books have been in Chick-fil-A kids meals.  I was named one of the top 100 employees for the company that owned the paper. I’ve been near the pinnacle of my career and I can tell you, the view is pretty darn good.

And it was very easy to start to base my self-worth on my job again.

But what goes up, must come down.  In 2010, I got a self-worth wake-up call: I was made part-time.  I felt the same way  I did that day when the man walked down my floor — except this time I had a family to feed and house.  But my saving grace was that I remembered something very, very important from that day at Pope:  My job doesn’t define me. I define my job.

My job status wasn’t a reflection on who I was. It just was. And it was up to me to do something about it.

Whether I am a janitor, an author, a cartoonist, a speaker, a marketing person or whatever — what is inside of me defines what I am doing. My core values. My effort. My energy.

When I took the job at The Clarion-Ledger, the Executive Editor  told me, “You can make this job anything you want it to be.” I chose to focus on the community because that’s who I am.  I got out and spoke, volunteered and tried to give back to a place that has given me so much. I didn’t do that because I had to. Or because it was in my job description. I did it because that’s who I am .  My goal, no matter what my “job” is, is to use the talents given to me the best that I possibly can.  I defined my job. My job didn’t define me.  I worked hard not to be cartoonist Marshall Ramsey. I was Marshall Ramsey, who happens to be a darn good cartoonist.

I’ve watched people fold when they lose their jobs.  I know a pilot who withered when he couldn’t fly any more.  I’ve seen editorial cartoonists suffer after they’ve been forced out of the newsroom.  I’ve seen laid-off co-workers struggle.  I’m sure a day will come when I am faced with the same scenario. When I will no longer be “Editorial Cartoonist Marshall Ramsey.”   When it happens, All I have to do is pick up a mop and remember this simple thought:

My job doesn’t define me. I define my job.
And then, I’ll get busy mopping.
P.S. Most of the teachers and students at Pope High School were fantastic and some are good friends to this day. 

 

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5 Responses to The Job

  1. Carol says:

    Thank you so much for this encouraging article! It was a blessing to read. It goes right along with a book I’m reading right now called “The Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer. Keep up the good (job-defining) work!

  2. Ron Ainsworth says:

    Great example of the human spirit. Can’t help but wonder where that honors graduate is…today. Continued success to you.

  3. Mary Lou says:

    Great insight into the way we should live our lives.

  4. GrammarGirl says:

    I know you know this, but it bears repeating: The way he treated you says more about who he was, and probably still is, than who you were and are. I try to always remember that when speaking to anyone. Everybody is important; everybody has a story to tell. And treating all people with respect speaks well of your character. The opposite speaks volumes, too.

    Great reminder of not letting circumstances define us. Thank you.

  5. Patrick Powell says:

    You are absolutely right Mr. Ramsey, great story, true story…

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