Running from a meeting in Stockholm, trying to get to the train station, the big storm hits. Buckets of water are falling. I hail a cab. Throw my suitcase in the trunk and jump in.
The driver asks, “Where are you going?”
“The train station,” I reply.
“Then get out of my cab.”
He was serious.
Confused, I clambered out into the grey weather and hailed another cab.
“Where are you going?”
“The train station.”
“Sorry. I can’t take you there.”
Was it my American accent? My suit? The fact that I was soaked head to toe? I hailed another and jumped in. Only to be denied again!
I was very puzzled. Rejected, I started walking the two miles to the train station when another cab pulled up.
“Need a ride?” yelled the driver.
I bent into his window and said I couldn’t accept a ride because I was just going to the train station. “Get in,” he replied.
So I did, and he drove. As we approached the train station I asked him why the other cabs wouldn’t take me.
He said, “Those other men are fools. They are just looking for the big money, the big jobs. I’m a cab driver and my job is to drive people. I don’t care where people are going.”
I’m a cab driver. I’m a salesman. I’m a mom. I’m a dentist. I’m a florist. I’m a tailor. I’m a student. I’m a friend. I’m a daughter. I’m a leader. No matter your role, do it with excellence regardless the payout, big or small. Just shine regardless of your circumstance.
Oh, and the driver that saved me from drowning? I’m sure he’s still telling stories about the size of the tip he got that day.
THINK: What can you do today, right now, that will show others you care about your role?
THOUGHT: “What-E’er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part.” – Shakespeare