He said, "I have become compulsive about clean elevators and floors. You can tell when a floor is really clean. If you put the toe of your shoe into the corner and twist it, and it doesn't make a scraping sound, then it's clean. That floor was clean. I want my facility to be really clean."
I thought about what he said. In our lives we should strive for excellence. Whether it is our marriages, our jobs, or in our personal character, we should not settle for anything less. It is easy to focus on the big things and be satisfied. But we shouldn't forget the corners of our lives.
Refusing to engage in negativity, criticism, and gossip is cleaning the floor. Replacing those traits with praise and encouragement is cleaning the corners. Striving for excellence means cleaning the corners.
© 2003, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume I (2003).