I GET TO GO TO WORK TODAY!

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”   – Vince Lombardi

Welcome to our third annual Products and Services Round Up. We have included products and services listings from a wide variety of companies, segmented by category. If you would like more information about a product or service you see in this issue, consider telling them you saw their listing in D.O.M. magazine if you contact them for more information. If you have a product or service that you would us to consider for inclusion in next year’s listing, please contact us so that we can add you to our list.

We started the process of putting this issue together in early July. We sent out several emails encouraging aviation manufacturers and service companies to send us information about their latest products or services so that we could include them in the issue. It was a lot of work compiling all of the listings, and it is always exciting to see the finished product.

While I was working my way through all of the product listings, I was listening to talk radio in the background as I often do. A segment came on where the host was interviewing a psychologist. I stopped for a while and enjoyed a cup of coffee as I listened to the segment. They were talking about how attitudes can affect how successful we are. At one point, the guest gave an example. “I like to say that I get to go to work today,” he said. “You’ll never hear me say ‘I have to go to work today.’ There are a lot of people that can’t find a job. There are a lot of people that can’t work for physical or mental reasons. I am so blessed that I GET to go to work every day.”

I started to reflect on the people I know in my life. The ones that are successful seem to share that same positive attitude. I rarely hear them complain about their jobs. They are positive and upbeat. They work hard each and every day. They strive for excellence in their work. They surround themselves with successful people.

On the other hand, I have also known witnessed people who have poor attitudes. They are constant complainers. They are lazy workers, content with just getting by. When they talk to their customers, they spend all their time bad mouthing their competitors instead of showcasing their company’s positive attributes. Their toxic attitudes spread through the workplace like a cancer — they make everyone at work miserable. They never seem to go far in the company. Instead, they either end up getting stuck in the same job, quitting or getting fired.

As I am writing this column, the Summer Olympics are just wrapping up. All of those men and women who had the privilege of standing up on the medals podium had to go through years of intense training. They didn’t settle for mediocrity. They sacrificed time with family and friends to make the training commitment they needed to be successful. Do you think they would have been successful if they would have said, “I have to go train today”? I doubt it. Instead, they likely worked harder and harder each day keeping an eye on the goal of winning a medal at the Olympics.

I realized that even though work can be tedious and stressful at times, I am fortunate that I get to go to work every day. I am fortunate that I work with a team of positive attitude go-getters. Come to think of it, I choose to surround myself with like-minded individuals.

Don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t settle for “just enough.” Let’s all chase perfection so that we can achieve excellence! Let’s encourage and expect excellence in those we work with.

As a last note, and in the theme of chasing perfection and achieving excellence, the winners of D.O.M. magazine’s first annual Maintenance Manager of the Year and Above and Beyond awards have been chosen. We have two well-deserving award recipients. The awards have been ordered and we will contact the winners soon. We will announce the winners in the October issue of D.O.M. magazine.

Thanks for reading, and we welcome your feedback.   — Joe Escobar