“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” Someone whom I’ve never met sent me that Proverb as encouragement yesterday. I’ve read it a hundred times but yesterday it meant more than most. I think we need to always be vigilant to give someone a word of encouragement, a little boost to push them through the day. Sometimes the little words have the greatest effect even if we never see it happening.

Jumping back to the Proverb, your work and work ethic speak volumes about your character. Don’t just do the work, be skillful in the work. Learn what you do to its fullest. It will take you places you’ve never dreamed, it will keep you from the doubters and no gooders and life suckers in this world. Being skilled in all you do allows you to be called upon precisely when people need you, when people need your skills and abilities. We all have that in us, but we don’t all get the opportunity to share simply because we don’t hone what we have.