The best way for our kids to grasp the value of a life lived for True Greatness is for them to see their parents living their lives for more than the success illusion. Here are some practical ideas on how to model this at your job and in your neighborhood.

10 Ways to Be a Great Employee

1. Make a commitment to love your fellow workers – especially the ones who are difficult to love.
2. Realize that your attitude toward your job is influencing the way your kids view work as well as the way they view you as a person.  Be grateful for your job, and always speak well of the opportunity you have been given to earn a living.
3. Show respect and honor for your employer, supervisors, directors, and immediate bosses.  Always speak well of them and to them.
4. If you make a mistake or fall short of expectations, admit it immediately.  Never hide behind excuses or pass blame to a fellow employee, even when you’ve failed badly.
5. Never steal ideas.  Be quick to give credit to the source.
6. As much as possible, participate in office social functions. Be a team player inside as well as outside the work arena.
7. Encourage fellow employees who are struggling.  To the degree that it is within your power, do whatever you can to help them succeed.
8. Refuse to be a part of office gossip about supervisors or fellow employees.  Remember, if you help take people down, ultimately, you go down with them.
9. Never take a single thing from the office that belongs to the company (not a paper clip, pencil, stamp, or piece of paper).  If your company is generous on these matters, still ask the person in authority if it’s all right, and insist on paying for it.  Give back more than you are given.  Always turn in accurate and absolutely honest expense accounts.
10. Work hard to improve your position in the company.  In the meantime, don’t complain about your pay.  Trust God to see to it that you are fairly dealt with on payday.

10 Ways to be a Great Neighbor

1. Be a good friend to all of your neighbors, not just the ones who align with your value system or your spiritual convictions.
2. Keep your yard and the outside of your house looking sharp. Never allow your house to bring a negative appearance to the neighborhood. Keep it painted, the grass cut, and the landscaping both up-to-date and maintained.
3. Pray for your neighbors, especially the ones who are the most difficult.
4. As much as possible, be quick to help your neighbors with things they are doing on their house, yard, or car—or with things they are struggling with in their lives.
5. Be friendly, kind, and encouraging whenever and wherever you encounter your neighbors.
6. Refuse to get pulled into neighborhood gossip. Living on a block with a bunch of desperate housewives is no fun for anyone.
7. Be especially encouraging to your neighbors’ children—especially the kids who come from homes that might be overstressed (as a result of debt, marital difficulties, or lack of spiritual direction). Don’t avoid the families whose kids are out of control. You may have to limit their involvement with your children, but that doesn’t mean you turn your back on their needs.
8. Welcome all new neighbors: whether married, divorced, single, cohabitating, gay, or straight. They are your neighbors. God put you near them to show His love, grace, and mercy. Invite them over to your home for dinner soon after they get settled. Make them feel welcome and safe.
9. Refuse to play the comparison game. Be genuinely happy for all the good things that happen in your neighbors’ lives (new cars, new furnishings, a raise at work, a great accomplishment of a family member, etc.).
10. Be ready to weep and mourn with your neighbors when life doesn’t go their way.