The Things I Learned On My Summer "Internship"

Every 4th of July I am reminded of my college "internship" at the Chicago Tribune 40 years ago. The flag that flew over 435 Michigan Avenue back in Chicago in 1980 hangs at our home every 4th of July. As a budding freshman journalism student it was a thrill to tell people I worked for "The Trib." To refer to it as an internship, however, could definitely by classified as fake news. To say that I was starting at the bottom, however, would have been very accurate since I was a janitor cleaning in the bowels of the Tribune Tower.

Even though this wasn't an internship that students dream of today at Google or Amazon there were some important lessons learned that the flag still represents to me today:

• Never Give Up - Life is hard but those who refuse to quit get far more chances at success. The world is in chaos with few clear paths and even fewer easy ways. Our country is not perfect but those that battle through are the ones that impact the world ahead. Success does not come without sacrifice. Most of us start at the bottom, but ceilings are primarily placed by ourselves.
• Never Settle - Edmon Burke was quoted as saying, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Individuals, organizations and countries are at their best when they refuse to look the other way. The converse, however, is also true because good is the enemy of great. Starting a new country nearly two and half centuries ago was good but allowing it to start with slavery as part of it kept it tainted and we are paying for it today.
• Never Take Yourself Too Seriously - Pushing a mop late at night in the third sub-basement creates both humility and fire. Our big flag is a reminder that this country and my career started with very little other than a belief. Beliefs, ideas and faith are very powerful things that can only be stopped by our own pride.

Happy 4th!