My career as a janitor actually began before my year at Pope High School after college. When I was in high school, I’d work at local schools when I wasn’t playing football. I spent most of my time at Rocky Mount Elementary working after school. But one Spring Break, while my classmates were chasing the Devil at Panama City Beach, I was working at Kincaid Elementary School. I was there for one week and worked a full 40 hours. It was a good paycheck for me and would fill the gas tank of my Firebird for at least a month (and it was thirsty.)
I don’t remember who I worked with, but I do remember having the art room to clean. It had a tile floor and I scrubbed the living heck out of that room. I threw myself into the job. I mopped it daily and polished everything in sight. I was intense.
The other custodians told me to quit making them look bad. (I figured I didn’t need to help because they were doing a good enough job on their own.)
I’m not sure I would have put that much effort into it if I had been there the other 51 weeks of the year. I know, that’s a sad statement. Would I have not been as intense? That question is bugging me about my life right now. I need that same intensity I had when I was at Kincaid Elementary. Now. I have a lot of stuff I need to do. And I need to do it well.
I run and run and run and run and then burn out. When I burn out, the amount of stuff I have to do doesn’t slow down. It just overwhelms me and starts falling through the cracks. I end up doing a lot of apologizing. So I’ve taken an hour this morning to sit in my quiet house an reflect on what I need to do and when I need to do it. I’m now writing this and my to-do list.
I am wondering, “Am I lazy or just tired.” To be successful, you have to push past tired. If you don’t try, that’s lazy. I fear being lazy. Life is too much of a gift to waste.
So it’s time to have Kincaid Elementary intensity. It’s time to get to work. One person can make a difference. And intensity is the ingredient that makes it all happen.