Airman learns core values, life's lessons in bathroom at early age

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nolan Hildebrand
  • 52nd Operations Support Squadron
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  When we think about the classrooms in life, I’m sure the bathroom is not at the top of the list, but the bathroom just happens to be where I learned my first core value.

I was taught “Excellence In All We Do” by my father. My father isn’t a retired chief. He didn’t serve in the Air Force; he wasn’t even in the military. But through his daily actions, and his shaving mug, I learned an important life lesson. See, my father’s shaving mug had a motto inscribed on it, “What Is Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Well.”

As a young boy, I would frequently eyeball that shaving mug in hopes of one day putting the lather on my face and sliding the razor across my soon-to-be whiskers. As a boy, I paid little attention to the motto. Now, as a man, I look back and realize that even though I didn’t think about the motto, I internalized it as a core value.

I’ve been guided by that simple, yet powerful motto every day of my life. I strive to do my best with every task entrusted to me and take pride in the successful completion of the job.

As Air Force members, we should all feel pride in our jobs. From fuels to finance, from the post office to the pharmacy, we all have important tasks that are critical to Air Force mission accomplishment.

We should treat each and every task as mission essential, because the Air Force core value “Excellence In All We Do” doesn’t afford us an option of when to give 100 percent. It demands that we give our very best, everyday, in everything we do.

While not everyone has a shaving mug to remind them that “What Is Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Well,” what we do have is the core value internalized and displayed by the “blue suit” we wear. Our actions and attitudes must represent “Excellence In All We Do” and shine as a beacon of light to the entire world.