As I was rereading the chapter on the Everest disaster in Jim Collins Great by Choice a thought formed in my mind.
There are tour guides (Sherpa Mountaineers) who help climbers climb the mountain every single day.
I bet some of those tour guides have climbed the mountain over a hundred times.
Yet none of them are famous and celebrated.
When Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person on record to reach the summit, he was accompanied by a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer called Tenzing Norgay.
But honestly, have you ever heard of Tenzing Norgay?
So, why are those tour guides who are accomplishing feat that the majority of humanity can only dream of, not celebrated for their accomplishments?
I reason, it’s because they are doing a job.
The individuals who spend months or even years training to climb mount Everest and finally does it, is on a mission.
No one decides to go through the torturous and risky venture of climbing the world’s tallest mountain because they are being paid for it.
They do it for a reason.
That reason is what mere mortals like us celebrate.
How Can You Turn Your Boring Job into a Mission?
There is a Philipino lift operator who is more popular than the president.
She is an ordinary lift operator who provide ‘uplifting experience’ to her customers.
As a result, she became famous.
Tourists visit her mall specifically to see her.
She took an ordinary job and made it extraordinary.
Why don’t you try doing the same?
I am not suggesting you start singing to your customer, your voice might probably scare the hell out of them.
I am saying your job or business must have a deeper meaning to those you serve.
For those riding the lift with the ‘Elevator Girl’, she uplifted their spirit.
For the Everest tour guides, it’s a job that pays them two or three hundred dollars.
For their clients, it’s a life fulfilling mission.
You can make your business or place of work a place of deeper meaning for your customers, co-workers, boss or employees.
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