SHINE YOUR SHOES

My high school principal, Mr. Shepherd, was one of the best educators I ever knew. Most school years, he would start by having the students gather in the cafeteria in what would become a lecture on life lessons. The one that sticks out the most is “Shine your shoes!” At the time, most of us just thought he didn’t want some sloppy looking kids plopped all over his school. Actually, Mr. Shepherd was trying to impress on some thick-headed teens the importance of pride. Now, this is not about arrogance or feeling overly self-important, which can be a problem for some of us. Mr. Shepherd knew the power in seeing ourselves as valuable, meaningful individuals who deserve the very best possible. And to achieve this, we have to have some level of self worth that we ourselves recognize. If we can externalize this with some act, such as shining our shoes, we can then internalize the feeling of it. If we take to time to “shine our shoes,” or whatever act it is we do to improve ourselves, we outwardly express our sense of self worth. And this then folds back on us and increases that feeling. Little actions can lead to big results. Remember that.