Do the Small Jobs

I absolutely loved my job in high school.  I worked at the local auto shop in my hometown, a small dealership called Meyer Auto.  On school days I could only get a few hours clocked, but I made sure that I made the most of every minute that I was on the clock.  I loved the people I worked with, and I loved what I did.  

   

I never really had a specific title for my job, I just helped anywhere necessary.  I performed routine oil changes here, detailed a car there, or cleaned the bathroom in the shop.  Each day brought something new, something I may have never worked on before.  And no matter what the task—even cleaning the bathroom—I gave it all that I had.  Although it might be absurd to some, I enjoyed every job that presented itself.  Often times my classmates wondered how I could love my job so much, when some of the tasks I performed were not necessarily every high schoolers’ dream.

Aside from my job in high school, I was involved in a lot of things and debatably was living the high school dream.  I was almost always involved in making the “big things,” happen.  Whether that be an FFA event, a spirit week, or even just a club meeting, I was usually close to the core of planning that event.  I was “important.”  Yet through tackling these “big events,” I realized something.  When we are so involved in these events, we forget about the little things.  This was most evident to me the morning of my FFA Chapter’s Teacher Breakfast during FFA Week.  Things were getting wrapped up, and I grabbed a few dishes and began to wash them.  One of the younger members came up to me and told me they could not believe that I was doing such a small task.  Why would the person who is running the event worry about something as small as doing dishes?   

    The answer is simple: I loved doing the small things.  At Meyer Auto I had countless opportunities to encounter those “small jobs.”  In fact, that’s why I was there.  I was a high school kid hired to do those small jobs that needed done.  Each time I did one of these “small jobs” I gave them as much effort as I did in every event I helped planned in high school.  By doing this I was able to learn things I would have never known before.  I was mindful of the little details.  I took time to make sure the small things were done right.  I loved doing the small things because they taught me how to handle the “big jobs.”  

    Often times in life we come to a point when we may think we are “big stuff.”  We have those moments when we think we are too good to take out the trash.  Maybe we laugh at the request to do the dishes.  We might ignore the bathroom that needs cleaning, just because we think those jobs are “below us.”  That is not the case.  What we must come to realize is that no matter how important we may be—or think we might be—there is no task that is too small for us to do.  The next time a “small job” comes around, do not laugh at it, just do it.  Enjoy the process.  You might just learn something. Sincerely, Noah Berning