Many years ago, a lady wrote in Readers’ Digest about an act she did to demonstrate her gratitude. She lived in Chicago, and her city was suffering from a heat wave. Newspapers wrote that Chicago’s workers were in danger of dehydration. This woman decided to do something about it. She filled her pitcher with ice water, grabbed a tray, placed the pitcher and plastic cups on the tray, and waited.

Before long, she heard the sound of the city garbage truck driving down her street. Excitedly she hustled outside with her tray, and, over the noise of the garbage truck, she shouted to a sanitation worker, “Here. This for you!”

The man gave her an astonished look. So she repeated her words, “This for you.”

The man complied. He took the tray, the pitcher filled with water, and the cups and pitched them all into the back of the truck.

Remember this at work.

Your heart can serve on pure motives.

You can offer your very best.

However, on occasion, you might well have others trash it. They might not even know they’re doing it, but they are.

Be prepared. Not everyone will respond to your sacrifice with gratitude. If you are ready for that, everything in your mind can still be okay. Like the old song says: do what you do well. The rest can take care of itself.