Tim Keller writes about an ordinary doorman named Mike who does his job with enthusiasm and excellence.

[Mike] is one of fifteen doormen serving a large Manhattan co-op; his apartment building is home to about one hundred families. Now in his early sixties, Mike emigrated to the U.S. from Croatia as a young man and worked in many kinds of jobs, from the restaurant business to manual labor. He has been a doorman in the building for twenty years and is clearly distinctive in his attitude toward his work. To Mike it's far from just a job. He cares about the people in the building and takes pride in helping with loading, finding parking spaces, and welcoming guests. He sets the standard for keeping the lobby and front of the building clean and attractive.

When asked what makes him drop what he's doing to get to the curb in time to help unload a resident's car after a weekend away he responds, "That's my job" or "They needed help." Why does he remember the name of every child? "Because they live here." At one point, to the question, "But why do you work so hard at every part of this job?" he replied, "I don't know … it's just what I need to be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try my best every day." He appears to work out of gratefulness for the job and for his life. He is glad to be in this country and for the opportunities it has given him.

Most of the people Mike serves are professionals or businesspeople who are probably glad not to be doormen. Some might even find the work of a doorman demeaning if they had to do it themselves. But Mike's attitude shows that he recognizes the inherent dignity of the work he is doing; and in this, he brings out its goodness and worth.