A Lesson From Booker T. Washington in Proactivity
12. Jul, 2010 
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Booker T. Washington was an extraordinary hero from whom we can learn many valuable lessons.
He was born a slave in Virginia, was freed after the Civil War, then set out to become educated. He arrived at the Hampton Institute determined to gain admittance.
In his autobiography he wrote:
“I presented myself before the head teacher…After some hours had passed, the [she] said to me:
“‘The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.’ It occurred to me at once that here was my chance…I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times.
“All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth. Besides, every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner in the room had been thoroughly cleaned.
“I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head teacher…She went into the room and inspected…
“When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, ‘I guess you will do to enter this institution.’
“I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction.
“I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.”
What a profound difference to the common misconceptions so easily found today.
Work hard, Love Boldly, Give Freely and always help others.
Leave no stone unturned. A job worth doing is worth doing well. Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today. All good statements to encourage us to put our best foot forward, be the best that we can be, and leave a good impression on those around us.