New appreciation

Nothing helps you to appreciate a task more than doing that task yourself for the first time. For example…

• cleaning a toilet

• doing the laundry

• arranging chairs in a conference hall

• checking math homework

• coaching sports

• driving a school bus

• drafting equitable policy

• serving peak hours while understaffed

• managing customer complaints

When you do the task — when you learn what it takes, and you experience the particular challenges first-hand — you gain a visceral appreciation for what you might have previously taken for granted. You’ll be grateful for jobs well-done, and perhaps a little less critical when things aren’t quite up to scratch.