How are you showing up at work?
In downtown Los Angeles is an educational institution called Hobart Boulevard Elementary School. It’s in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in one of the roughest cities in North America. Violence frequently leads to lockdowns, searches and police being called. The whole facility is surrounded by high fences to protect the children.
Not the sort of place one would expect excellence, right? Wrong.
This struggling school, set in a blighted district, is home to the Hobart Shakespearians. Who might that be? Well, it’s a class in the school taught by a gentleman by the name of Rafe Esquith. Over the years he’s become a legend among teaching circles.
Despite the immense challenges, he has developed an amazing series of teaching methods that has won spectacular results.
Mr. Esquith’s fifth-graders not only excel in the usual academic areas like math and English, but he also has them learning economics, arts, and to play music. They also perform Shakespeare plays, mixed with music they perform themselves. Furthermore, they take class trips to places like Washington, D.C. as well as other trips to scout out universities. And if that weren’t enough, most of Mr. Esquith’s students are the children of immigrants and are still learning English.
Despite the extremely difficult circumstances of their environment, pretty much all these students go on to university, and many go beyond that to amazing careers.
Mr. Esquith says he is not an extraordinary teacher; he owns up to having made many mistakes on the road he’s chosen. What he is is passionately dedicated to his work. He believes in it with everything he has, and brings all that passion and devotion with him when he shows up for work each morning. He does it because he loves it; and loving it leads him to excel.
So the question then, becomes, how are you showing up for work? Do you passionately believe in your work? Does it speak to your soul? Does thinking about it make you happy? Does doing it bring you joy?
Because if not, if you lack enthusiasm, if your work fails to interest you, then guess what, your work will be lacking.
There’s more than one way to excel in your work — but the best one is to truly believe in what you do.
Better yet, to love what you do!
(for more information on Rafe Esquith and his class, click here)